Just Waiting
by Relm Wanderer
Summary: Sequel to 'Mind Games'. For 90 days De Tanga has to work for Luna Inverse the known 'monster slayer' before Luna makes her decision. But why would De Tanga want to endure working for such an irritating woman just for the chance to date her? ::FINISHED!::
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes: If you are reading this then you are one of two people._

_-You either have read my work or just saw this as a new fic and thought I'd give that one a read_

_-You've read 'Mind Games' and are curious to what happens to De Tanga._

_If you haven't read 'Mind Games' before then please read it before reading this fic. This is a continuation story from 'Mind Games', and though it's not completely necessary to read it, it will make things easier to understand. As De Tanga is not a real character in the Slayers Universe but is one of my creations. If you have read 'Mind Games' and are reading this, then many thank yous! I didn't really expect anyone to really want to read this fic. You might be hoping for me to throw in some Xellos/Filia action in it, and I probably will. But it will be minor and towards the end of this fic. How long with this story will be? I have no clue._

**Just Waiting**

Part One, Day One – 89 Days To Go

By Relm

Ninety days. That was the agreement. De Tanga would work for Luna for ninety days and then she would decide if she wanted to date him.

It was a crazy situation that De Tanga didn't know how he got into it. It had all started when De Tanga happen to meet up with his old friend Xellos. Upon seeing his old friend De Tanga realized there was something different about Xellos. And then De Tanga met Filia, the golden dragon that had changed his best friend forever. A ploy was put into motion and De Tanga found himself aiding Filia in playing mind games. De Tanga's goal had been to get Xellos and Filia together, but then he also developed feelings for the golden dragon. After the game was finished De Tanga ended up in Zelphilia heartbroken. He met Luna and she somehow got him to tell her everything. That's when the agreement was born.

Luna refused to be a rebound so she decided that De Tanga would stay in Zelphilia working for her at the restaurant for three months, ninety days, and then maybe she would date him.

De Tanga hadn't verbally agreed to this arrangement. But that didn't matter to Luna. It was what she decided and since she had, that was the way it was going to be.

De Tanga hadn't ever met a woman like Luna before. She was strong willed, more so than any human female De Tanga knew, fearless and demanding. Within a short amount of time knowing her she had both irritated and angered De Tanga.

So why go through this deal of hers? Luna was mysterious and full of fire and De Tanga found her alluring for it. He even liked how she frustrated him. It didn't matter how sad or depressed he was she had that power to instantly snap him out of it. All it took was a couple words and his troubles took backseat and he was focusing on her annoying qualities. Arguing with her was even fun. De Tanga knew trying to piss off Luna Inverse was playing with fire; she could kill him so easily. But that just made De Tanga want to be around her more. He felt energized being around her.

But this arrangement went against one of De Tanga's cardinal rules. Never get romantically involved with mortals. This golden rule made De Tanga lead a very lonely life.

Monsters treated De Tanga like a traitor and most immortal races didn't want anything to do with monsters. His foster mother had been an elf and she was persecuted by her kind for being involved with his monster foster father. Though dragons were aware of his non-involvement with the war of the monster's fall, he was still a monster after all. Filia was the first golden dragon that had treated him differently.

Luna was a human, and De Tanga definitely didn't get involved with humans. It wasn't that De Tanga hated humans; they were probably his favourite race. They were evil and they were good. Each one was so different from the other. Though humans were generally regarded as a lowly race they were way more accepting then the more 'superior' races.

Falling in love with a human would be such an easy thing for De Tanga.

So why the rule?

De Tanga was a monster, an immortal. Humans were mortal, they would age and die. De Tanga knew he couldn't bear to love someone and watch them die.

The rational part of De Tanga's mind told him to stay away from Luna. That she was would die like all humans do. But there was that rumour that Luna was the knight of Cepheid, that a piece of the dragon god resided within her. Both Lei Magnus and Rezo the Red Priest had pieces of Shabranigdo in them and they lived much longer than any normal mortal. They both might have been immortal too, had Lei not been encased in ice and Rezo killed as a piece of the reborn monster lord.

Magic also played a factor in a human's lifespan. Those more gifted in magic seemed to live longer than most. Even though Luna didn't choose to cast magic, De Tanga sensed the ability in her.

It's those two reasons that De Tanga made Luna the exception to his rule. He didn't know how long she'd live, but he was sure she'd out live most humans.

Today was De Tanga's first day working at 'The Devil's Spoon', the main restaurant of Zelphilia. As De Tanga stood outside the bustling restaurant he mentally smacked himself at the sight. The restaurant looked like it had been fixed many times but the sign above was large with big bright letters. Anyone within ten blocks of the building would know what restaurant it was.

'How could I have just walked in there yesterday and not see the sign?' He shook his head. When his master Deep Sea Dolphin teleported him into Zelphilia he hadn't known where he was. He was so focused on his grief that he just headed straight for the restaurant's bar to drink away his sorrows. Any monster treading into the territory of Luna Inverse the monster slayer knew to be careful. But De Tanga hadn't been. He was lucky to be alive.

The restaurant had been loud and busy, but everything stopped as De Tanga entered the room.

All the patrons held their breaths as they nervously looked between Luna and De Tanga.

Luna flashed a dark smile. She had wondered if Deep Sea Dolphin's priest would show up or run. Showing up meant that De Tanga had accepted the arrangement. She reached behind the bar and grabbed a brown paper bag. "Put this on." Luna ordered as she threw the bag at him.

De Tanga looked inside the bag and saw a waiter's uniform. He noted the smell of lemons and daisies. It was the same smell that Luna's clothes had. 'Probably used the same soap as she does to wash own. Does that mean she specially washed these for me last night?' De Tanga wondered as he went to the washroom to change.

As a rule De Tanga usually favoured wearing looser fitting clothing with lots of layers. They were easier to move in and more pockets to keep things. So De Tanga was in for a shock when he got into the uniform Luna had provided him.

The pants though long enough, were very tight from the waist down to his mid thigh. The shirt was a muscle shirt that was very tight showing off every one of De Tanga's muscles.

Monsters could change their form at will but their 'human' form wasn't usually one they chose, it was one they took without thinking. So in theory De Tanga could change his form to make the uniform not so tight he refrained from doing so. Taking another human form felt too strange for him.

Though the uniform was very tight De Tanga could move in it. 'Probably tight to give the ladies something to look at.' He thought as his mind traveled back to how tight Luna's outfit was. Being so tight it showed off her womanly assets.

De Tanga wondered if this was a requirement for the guys to wear that worked at the restaurant or if this was just another way Luna was trying to irritate him.

As De Tanga came out in the dining area Luna threw an apron at him. "Put that on and start taking orders."

"You're making the assumption that I know how to wait on tables." De Tanga quipped while putting on his apron.

"Your master cooks part time at a restaurant. I figured you would at least know how to be a waiter."

"Just because she cooks doesn't mean she'd make me do such a menial task of waiting on tables."

All the patrons at the restaurant kept looking back and forth between Luna and De Tanga as the pair argued. Fear and uncertainty loomed in the air.

Luna glared daggers at De Tanga. "I figured you'd at least have an idea what to do. Unless you are an imbecile after all."

"Doesn't matter how hard or easy a job is any good employer should train their new hires." De Tanga countered back. "That is providing you are actually a good employer."

Luna quickly scanned a nearby table for things she could throw. She had decided on a bowl of soup when 'The Devil's Spoon's' bartender got between the monster and the slayer.

"Luna how about I train him and you don't destroy the restaurant again?" The blue haired bartender pleaded.

Luna eyed them both with spite. "Fine. Five minutes then he better be taking orders."

De Tanga was going to make a snappy comeback until he got a better look at his 'savoir'.

The young man appeared to be in his late teens with eyes the matched his long blue hair that he had tied back in a ponytail not unlike how De Tanga wore his hair. The man was very tall with broad shoulders and a muscled body that would make a body builder jealous. Though the uniform looked good on De Tanga with his modest build, he felt like a little skinny shrimp next to the bartender whose muscles were very much highlighted by the tight outfit.

None of that alarmed De Tanga. What got De Tanga's attention were two things. When the young man smiled you could see that his upper canines were longer and pointed like fangs and that the young man had a blue scaly dragon like tail. This man wasn't human, or not fully human.

"Sorry about my big sister Luna. She's always rough on the new ones." The young man apologized. "I'm Leviathan Inverse. But you can call me Lev." He introduced himself.

Now this confused De Tanga more. First he didn't know what exactly Leviathan was, but now the man was an Inverse too? De Tanga thought he knew about each member of the Inverse family. But this Leviathan was one that he had never heard off. "Inverse?"

"Yeah I'm kinda an adopted family member. I used to be a water serpent dragon." Leviathan explained briefly.

Again this created more confusion for De Tanga. In the class ranking of dragons golden dragons and ancient dragons were at the top and feral or lesser dragons were at the bottom. Lesser dragons were just wild beasts that tended to attack anything that crossed it. Sure they could be tamed or trained but they were in no means intelligent. Golden dragons and ancient dragons were both powerful and enlightened. Because of their power and heightened intelligence they were capable of changing from a dragon form to a human form.

The serpent dragons were the middle class of the dragon world. There are five classes of serpent dragons: fire, water, earth, air and spirit. They are capable of understanding human language but they can't speak it, nor could they change their forms. The posses power to manipulate the element that they are but that is the extent of their power.

'I'll have to ask him more about himself later.' De Tanga mused as Leviathan went into an extremely fast explanation of how the system worked at 'The Devil's Spoon'. Leviathan spoke very fast cramming a lot of information in a very short amount of time.

Had De Tanga not been a monster his head would have spun.

"Did you get all that?" Leviathan asked when he finished explaining.

De Tanga nodded. He pretty much knew what he was going to have to do anyways. He was just being difficult to annoy Luna.

"Good! What's your name again?"

"De Tanga."

Leviathan frowned. He knew from his studies who De Tanga was. He also knew that Luna detested Deep Sea Dolphin. 'Why would Luna hire a monster that serves Deep Sea?'

"Five minutes are up!" Luna bellowed.

De Tanga chuckled darkly as he went to do the bidding of his new 'master'.

...

The whole day De Tanga looked for ways to irritate Luna. He'd mess up orders, 'accidently' bump into her and flirt with all the pretty girls dining at the restaurant.

It was a rollercoaster ride of excitement and fear for all those dining at 'The Devil's Spoon'. The main reason people ate at the restaurant besides the food was the danger of it. Nobody knew when hurricane Luna was going to blow everything up. Most of the diners knew not to purposely piss Luna off. But every now and then a traveller would breeze in and make the mistake and invoke Luna's rage. It never ended well for those poor stupid travellers.

Like the seasoned diners the staff at the restaurant knew better than trying to annoy Luna.

De Tanga was truly playing with fire. Luna didn't get the reputation as the monster slayer for nothing.

So for each new 'mistake' De Tanga made everyone in the room collectively held their breaths and were ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

Luna looked like she was going to react like she would normally; she even went to grab her sword a couple times. But instead, Luna 'accidently' hit De Tanga with her serving tray, glared at any diners that got wrong orders silencing any would be complaints and 'accidently' spilled drinks on De Tanga every time he flirted with the girls. Mostly hot beverages.

And then there was the banter. The two were constantly insulting each other the whole time.

"For such an old waitress you are extremely clumsy." De Tanga motioned to the newest beverage that had been spilled on him. It had been hot tea and it had like the others ended up on his lap. Every time a spill would dry Luna would 'accidently' spill another making it look to anyone who just came in the doors think De Tanga ad peed his pants.

De Tanga actually found this amusing as the temperature of the liquid didn't bother him. And Luna only spilled when he flirted with other women. To make her so jealous already after only knowing her a day and a half made De Tanga's pride swell.

"If you weren't so slow with your orders then you wouldn't be in my way." Luna countered back. "But I guess you can't help being slow, you are only a 'monster' after all."

"Funny how I'm only in your way when I'm not paying any attention to you. What an attention starved woman you are to be so self centered and greedy."

A short young man with blue green hair and eyes entered the restaurant with obvious confusion on his face. "What the hell is going on?"

De Tanga studied the young man for a moment. From his state of dress and the sword at his side De Tanga assumed this was Gavin Inverse, the youngest of the Inverse children, a budding time mage/swordsmen who was known for his lighting quick speed.

'Gavin' was also studying De Tanga as well. "Who's the new guy?"

"That's De Tanga." Leviathan stated matter-of-factly from the bar.

"De Tanga? As in Deep Sea Dolphin's head priest? A monster? Luna why would you hire a monster for? You hate monsters!" Gavin spat out as a plate went whizzing by his head. Luckily Gavin was spry enough to dodge the porcelain projectile. Luna regularly used her younger brother as target practice.

"You're late! Get to work!" Luna ordered rather than answer Gavin's question.

Gavin grumbled as he went to the back to change.

"Your shifts over. Change and leave." Luna said coldly to De Tanga as she went back to serving her customers.

As De Tanga went to change he passed Gavin on the way.

"Congratulations on staying alive." Gavin said in a strange voice. "But I would be careful what you say and do; Luna has killed for less."

"Oh she won't kill me." De Tanga said with a smug smile. "We have an arrangement after all."

Gavin stared at the monster confused he disappeared through the doors. "I hate being out of the loop." Gavin muttered as he went to face the beast that was his oldest sister.

_(Author's Notes: Since this story takes place in Zelphilia I couldn't do the whole thing and not introduce some new characters into the mix. Otherwise it would be a very boring story At least for the length it's probably going to be. Both Leviathan and Gavin are of my created characters and since I've lost RSBI I have no character page for people to use as a reference. But I will try and explain about them throughout the story so that people get a grasp of who they are. I will also introduce up to another five characters in future parts. They will be of the Inverse family or friends of them.)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Notes: I tell you all I was shocked to see that not only did I have people read this fic but also review it too! Thank you thank you! ^_^ _

_I'm not quite sure if how I'm going to do the parts. I was going to do one part per week in the story, so technically this should be day 8 and not 2, but I felt as though I needed to explain De Tanga's initial feelings/thoughts about work and where he was. So this isn't going to be a 90 part story. I refuse to make it that long. It might have a few parts be consecutive days but for the most part I hope to do parts per week in the story timeline. And I will apologize, the next few parts may be spent explaining the characters that I'm going to introduce. So please bare with me._

**Just Waiting**

Part Two, Day Two – 88 Days To Go

By Relm

After the way his first day at work had been De Tanga was thankful that his next day's shift was going to be an afternoon one. This meant De Tanga had time to walk around and see Zelphilia before work. So bright an early the next morning De Tanga got up and took a stroll around the city. He had decided if he was going to be in Zelphilia for a while he would need a place to stay. So De Tanga got gotten a room at the Zelphilia Inn.

The wood creaked as De Tanga walked down the stairs. The inn was a far sized one but it had all the charms of a little bed and breakfast. It had a warm welcoming atmosphere that De Tanga found quite calming.

Even though it was early many people were out and about in the city. This amused De Tanga as he loved to see new places and people.

After the war of the monster's fall De Tanga was limited to just see the places in the barrier. And he had been just about everywhere. But Zelphilia had always been one of those off limits areas. It wasn't as though Zelphilia was like Sailune and being the city would cause monster any form of harm. What made the city dangerous were its' people.

Perhaps there was something in the water because Zelphilia always seemed to produce very magically gifted people. Many of them having a strong dislike of monsters. For a time there was a rumour of weapons of pure light that could kill any creature residing in the city with skilled fighters wielding them. This was never confirmed, the only confirmed weapon of light had been the sword that had been passed down in the Gaberieve family line. But there was other reasons why monsters tended to stay away from Zelphilia, it was the birth place of Nora (Lockeheart) Gevert. Nora was well known to monsters and people alike. She was quite possibly the most gifted sorceress known within the monster barrier. Her power was rumoured to had been at least on par with Rezo the Red Priest. Nora was half elf and half human, and despite her mixed blood was very capable at elven magic. Ordinarily half elves were either not able to cast elven magic or had a very diminished capacity for it. But Nora wasn't just good at elven magic, she was good at all kinds. She was known to have mastered every spell there was. That is if you believed all the rumours.

Though rumour or not it was true that Nora had slain quite a few monsters in her time. She was very protective of her home. Nora had proclaimed that all monsters where banned from her birth city. And that she would hunt down any that tried to cause any trouble.

It had been more than fifty years since Nora vanished without a trace. Many of the monster race wondered if they should still heed the sorceress' warning. But it didn't matter anymore, Luna had taken up the reputation of the monster slayer and many monsters fear the rumoured knight of Cepheid.

But since Luna had decided to spare De Tanga's life he was free to explore. The city was prosperous with many shops and trades. But wine making was the cities' main boon. It seemed like it wasn't a probably place to grow grapes, much of the surrounding terrain appeared destroyed. Like battles of horrific power had took place eons ago. Ruins dotted the surrounding areas. Perhaps Zelphilia had once been bigger. Or perhaps this Zelphilia was a city built on the ruins of an older larger city. De Tanga wasn't sure.

The one thing that marvelled De Tanga was the people. Humans were common in most places so they weren't a surprise to him. But what surprised him were the other races he saw. Elves, beast people, dwarves, pixies... And chimeras, so many chimeras. Some of them seemed normal enough with a tail here or a horn there; nothing too extreme. Others were completely different with things like extra limbs, heads, eyes and with various kinds of furry and textured skin. Some were so strange that De Tanga couldn't even hope to guess what they had been previously.

But even as odd as these people were they went about their day to day business and no one treated them any different. This common acceptance all walks of life greatly pleased De Tanga. Living his life being persecuted by many made De Tanga long for a place to belong. Zelphilia was miles ahead of other cities and kingdoms for their tolerance. Even more so than Sailune.

The only person that the people in the city treated differently was De Tanga. But he was a stranger and a monster to boot. So that he expected. Even then it was only mild uneasiness around him. They still smiled when De Tanga greeted them and said hello back. They were more curious than afraid. There were so many pleasant emotions floating around that De Tanga had a large buffet of food to eat for breakfast.

Yes De Tanga was very much enjoying his little stroll through Zelphilia that morning. That is until he came face to face with Blitzfaust Inverse.

De Tanga was passing a general store when an extremely tall and burly man stormed out of the store. The man stared down De Tanga.

De Tanga felt a chill go down his spine. His fight or flight instincts were in high gear tingling and telling him to run that danger was near. "Good morning." De Tanga greeted the man hoping his smile would quell the man's bubbling anger.

It had the opposite effect. "Are you De Tanga?" The man's voice was stern and cold. He cracked his large knuckles obviously itching to hit something.

"Why yes I am. Might I ask you whom you are?"

"The man who's going to kill you."

Yes De Tanga felt the need to run. "Surely we can talk about our differences. Maybe there is something I can do to atone for whatever I have done to wrong you." De Tanga pleaded.

"A monster who tries to flirt with my daughter is a dead monster." The man unsheathed an impossibly large orihalcon sword and tried to slash at De Tanga.

As the sword just barely missed De Tanga's head he felt the magic essence that had been endowed in the blade. Perhaps it was a spell like elmekia lance that had been fused with the blade, but one thing was sure it was meant to kill anything.

The man swung wildly trying to kill De Tanga, but instead ended up hitting everything but the monster.

De Tanga dodged a few more attacks while quickly thinking the situation over. 'Is this Luna's father or a father of those girls I flirted with at the restaurant? Gotta take a chance.' He decided. "Mr. Inverse please stop this!" De Tanga pleaded.

"I'll stop when I've got your head. Stop moving!"

'At least I know this is Luna's father.' De Tanga mused dodging another attack. He knew that he could just teleport away but he was sure if he did that it would piss of Luna's father more.

"BLITZ!" A short woman with long blond hair screamed coming out of the shop. "What the hell are you doing?" The woman stormed over to Blitz with a mammoth sized pot in her hand. She waved it in the air ready to swing it at him.

"Faithe calm down." Blitz tried to calm the small but very loud woman while dropping his sword on the ground.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? You're the one screaming like a madman threatening to kill someone for talking with your daughter! I outta bash your brains out!" She growled. "Look what you did!" Faithe motioned to the destruction that Blitz had caused.

A door had been cut in half, a side of a building had a nice slash in it and a produce bin had been smashed with all its' produce spilled all over the ground.

"Well he wouldn't stand still." Blitz joked weakly.

Faithe hit Blitz over the head this time. "Why do you get so crazy any time a boy even talks to Luna? It's bad enough she scares most guys away but you have to kill/scare the only brave ones too? If you don't stop this nonsense Luna is going to die an old maid! Is that what you want? Our oldest daughter to live alone for the rest of her life? I want her to get married so I can have grandchildren!" Faithe screamed.

"But he's a monster!" Blitz weakly protested.

"I don't care if he's Shabranigdo himself! Now get back to work and fix this mess you made!" Faithe screamed.

"Yes dear."

De Tanga stood there in complete shock and awe. The woman before him didn't look anything like Luna. She was petite, her hair was an ashen blond and even though it wasn't apparent from looking at her De Tanga was sure the woman had some elf blood in her. But the temper and the ferocity of her presence proved that the woman couldn't be anyone else but Faithe Inverse. It was quite a funny sight to see an extremely large fearsome looking man being bossed around by a petite woman that didn't even look strong enough to hold up the pot she waved in the air with her hands.

De Tanga felt the need to flee again. Especially when Faithe turned to look him in the eyes.

"Are you De Tanga?"

De Tanga deftly nodded.

"I'm sorry about my boar of a husband. How about you come inside for a cup of tea?" Faithe offered sweetly. The sudden change from extreme anger to an extremely pleasant disposition was truly frightening.

So De Tanga nodded as he followed Faithe inside the shop.

An older shorter woman with greying hair smiled from behind the shop counter at De Tanga as he followed Faithe to a room at the back of the shop. As it turns out the shop was connected to the Inverse family home and Faithe lead De Tanga to the kitchen and motioned for him to take a seat at the table.

De Tanga felt quite uneasy as he sat down. He kinda felt like he was invading enemy territory. But he took the tea Faithe put before him and timidly sipped it. It was a pleasant herbal tea that smelled of blueberries and honeysuckle.

"So how did you meet my daughter?" Faithe asked after she joined De Tanga at the table putting down a plate of cookies.

"I met her at the restaurant."

"That's nice." Faithe smiled with far off dreaming romantic thoughts floating in her eyes.

"Mrs. Inverse your husband is correct you know. I am a monster." De Tanga decided to set the record straight.

"Please call me Faithe. And yes I know you're a monster."

De Tanga frowned. "You know I'm a monster and you're okay with that?"

"Just because you're a monster doesn't mean you're evil." Faithe rationalized.

"But monsters are evil." De Tanga protested.

"Are you evil?"

"Well um... no."

"Then I don't see the problem." Faithe happily drank her tea.

De Tanga wondered if Faithe was just so desperate for her daughter to have someone that she'd settle for anyone dating Luna. "Well there are other problems."

"Forget about that. I want to know what do you think of my Luna? Was it love at first sight?"

"Mrs. Inverse-"

"Faithe!"

"Alright Faithe, just so you know I'm not dating your daughter. I don't know what she's told you but I'm not courting her. She decided that I was going to work for her for ninety days before she decides if she wants to date me. This wasn't my idea. It was hers; she made this decision for the both of us." De Tanga explained.

"By working yesterday you've obviously agreed to her arrangement therefore you want to date my daughter." Faithe stated triumphantly.

"What did Luna tell you?"

"You had your heart broken and she finds you interesting."

De Tanga was going to start ranting but he had to pause on Faithe's comment. 'Luna finds me interesting? Focus De Tanga.' "I don't know if I want to date your daughter. I was sent here by my master and that's how I ended up in the restaurant. I didn't come here to looking for love."

"So finding it was just a bonus." Faithe mused.

De Tanga wanted to scream. Faithe was being so frustrating. "I'm not sure how I feel at this moment. And I don't know if I really want to get involved with anyone right now. Luna could just string me along for ninety days and then drop me like a sack of potatoes."

"It sounds like to me you are trying to convince yourself more than me. Your rational side is telling you no; stay away from her. But you feel drawn to her and can't help but want be near her."

De Tanga wanted to argue with that. But he knew she was right.

Faithe took De Tanga's silence as a confirmation that she was correct. "I knew I was right. It's all over the city how much the two of you were flirting with each other yesterday."

"Flirting?" De Tanga frowned in confusion. "We were bickering and trying to piss each other off." Okay he had been having fun pushing Luna's buttons yesterday but he didn't consider that flirting.

"For Luna that's the closest to flirting she's ever done. Otherwise you would be dead." Faithe joked.

De Tanga was going to respond to that comment when the sound of heavy footsteps caught his attention.

Down the stairs already dressed for work was Luna looking either curious and/or irritated to see Deep Sea Dolphin's priest sitting at the kitchen table. It was hard to tell with her long bangs covering her eyes. "You missed me so much that now you're stalking me at home?"

"No, your mother invited me over for tea." De Tanga smiled smugly.

Luna glared at her mother. "_Mother?"_

"Yes sweety?" Faithe smiled nervously at her eldest daughter. Though Lina was deathly afraid of Luna, Faithe wasn't afraid of her daughter. She knew that Luna wouldn't hurt her. But Faithe didn't like upsetting her daughter.

"Why are you having my new hire over for tea?"

"Well you can ask your father about that." Faithe took a sip of her tea.

Luna's eyes narrowed. She had heard her father yelling outside before. "What did he do?"

"Oh he just tried to kill your new boyfriend."

"Excuse me for a moment. There's something I need to do." Luna stated before grabbing the large pot Faithe had been wielding and walking out the door leading to the store.

Even from inside the Inverse family home the loud crash could be heard. Maybe Luna wouldn't hurt her mother, but her father was fair game.

De Tanga's eyes were very wide. "Should we do something...?"

"Nah it's okay, Blitz's head is pretty thick. And I can heal him later if he whines too much." Faithe waved it off. "Please have a cookie, they're lemon drops."

Yes the Inverse family wasn't like any other normal family. 'What have I gotten myself into...?' De Tanga wondered as he timidly took a bite out of a cookie. The situation was unsettling, but at least the cookie was good.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: This was originally supposed to be part 2. This part is more a background explanation chapter explaining some of the characters of Just Waiting. I realize I hadn't gone into too much of a character background of De Tanga when writing Mind Games (as I really hadn't had his complete history mapped out yet) so this is my chance to make up for it. Though I realize that if I had previously stated anything about De Tanga in Mind Games that this part could conflict with those things. Honestly I don't want to re-read Mind Games again, so if there is any inconsistencies between De Tanga's history in Mind Games and Just Waiting please just ignore it. I hope there are no continuity errors. And again thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!_

**Just Waiting**

Part Three, Day Eight – 82 Days to Go

By Relm

It had been an eventful week since De Tanga started working at 'The Devil's Spoon.' Many were surprised that De Tanga still lived let alone still worked at the restaurant. By then everyone in the city knew who De Tanga was and what he was. Even though initially people had been weary of the monster priest they had opened up and welcomed him to the city. If Luna didn't find him threateningly enough to kill why should they worry about what he was anyway?

But the fact that Luna not only allowed De Tanga to stay in town but work for her raised many questions among the city folk. All sorts of rumours floated around about the two. Some figured that De Tanga had been 'sold' to Luna by Deep Sea Dolphin to use as a slave. Others though the pair we already engaged in some torrid affair. Few people know the truth. Only Luna's parents and her grandmother. And if Blitz hadn't try to kill De Tanga so openly in the street earlier on in the week they probably wouldn't know the whole truth. Luna had no choice to tell them.

Luna had been quite cross with her father. She loved her family but her father's over protective nature always irritated her. Yes Blitz was strong and fearsome in his own right. But if it came down to battle Luna would be the likely victor. So having someone 'weaker' then her feeling the need to fight her battles and 'protect' her was not something that sat well with Luna. But a couple good blows to the head with that pot knocked some sense into the merchant swordsmen so Blitz relented his pursuit of killing De Tanga. Because when it all came down to it he could never refuse the ladies in his life. If Faithe, Luna or Lina wanted something he couldn't deny them. He'd try but he would fail miserably. Mainly because all three were very strong and very short tempered.

As far as Gavin and Leviathan, Luna chose to leave them in the dark. She did this because Leviathan wouldn't care otherwise and Gavin hated not knowing what was going on. And since Luna had been 'forbidden' from harming her baby brother she had to look for other means to terrorize the teal haired time mage. Of course she did bend the rules and tried to throw things at him from time to time. Luna felt justified in doing so; she was 'helping' Gavin with his reflexes.

De Tanga let out a content sigh as he sat staring out across Lake Zelphilia. It was early morning and the breeze that skimmed the pristine waters was cool and refreshing. In the short amount of time of being in the city De Tanga felt a strange sense of calm he hadn't felt since before his foster parents died. Zelphilia reminded him of home.

"Do monster need to sleep or are you just an early morning person?" An older female voice pulled De Tanga from his thoughts.

He looked up and saw Gertrude Smarthsan standing next to him with a warm smile gracing her face.

De Tanga returned this smile. "For a pure blood monster sleep isn't necessary. But if you sleep you don't need to eat as much. I do sleep and I am also a morning person. The world seems so pure and clean in the early hours."

"How true that is. Might I join you?"

De Tanga nodded motioning for Gertrude to sit next to him. He had been hoping to get a chance to talk to older shop keeper that worked in the Inverse family store.

Gertrude Smarthsan was Luna's grandmother on her mother's side. Gertrude was very well known amongst the monsters. Though Zelphilia was off limits monsters still ventured near the city or made short trips into the forbidden zone to get intel on possible threats to the monster race.

While Gavin was an apprenticing time mage, Gertrude was already a master of the paradox art. Time mages typically were not a fearsome bunch. Few choose to study the art and those that did were more scholarly than those with an abundance of fighting spirit. Time spells were often hard to control and required a lot of concentration and magical energy. And they weren't really offensive either. Time spells usually were meant to aid and not to be the driving force of a battle.

That being said there was at least one time spell that all monsters feared. It was the most powerful of all the time spells, 'Infinite Void'. That spell opened a portal of vacuum nothingness that would suck any living souls in. It was uncertain of what happened to those that were sucked into the void.

Did they cease to exist or where they trapped in a timeless dimension? Even the creator of the spell couldn't have said. As he went mad after casting it. Looking in the void was looking in the heart of insanity itself.

Though monster could teleport at will or fly away they couldn't get away once an 'Infinite Void' spell was cast. Once you were caught in the spell it would surely pull you in. All you could hope to do was to injure the caster as you were sucked to your doom.

All time mages have the capability to use this spell, but few chose to cast it. It was hard to cast and harder to control. Most were afraid that they wouldn't be able to maintain the concentration to keep the spell in control. An out of control 'Infinite Void' could destroy the world. Some said that because of power of the Giga Slave could turn the world into nothing that maybe Infinite Void drew on The Lord of Nightmares' power as well. Or rather the paradox that the golden lord created with her chaotic nature. No one was sure, but it was only a spell that time mages could use.

Gertrude was capable enough to cast Infinite Void and she could cast it well. Making her a dangerous woman indeed. It seemed to be a trend in Luna's family. All the woman wielded terrifying power. But that might stem from who Gertrude's mother really was. History recorded that Nora Gevert had a miscarriage and lost the only child she could ever have. But many wondered if Gertrude was really that child Nora 'lost' and hid that fact from the world. If that were true then the blood of the great elven human mage flowed in the Inverse bloodline. Lina did bear a striking resemblance to the fabled Nora Gevert. But if that were true then Gertrude would have to be ¼ elf. Though Gertrude didn't have the tell tale sign of the pointed elven ears. She had just the shorter petite stature that tended to be common amongst elves.

"So what do I owe this honour Mrs. Smarthsan? Have you come to kill me in lieu of your son-in-law?"

Gertrude chuckled. "Please call me Gertrude. And no I just wanted to a chance to talk. I have some questions for you."

"I have some as well. What did you want to know?"

"Why would you agree to such a bizarre arrangement with my eldest granddaughter?"

"I have been asking that myself since the first day at the restaurant." De Tanga openly admitted. "I don't know... Luna is... different."

"Perhaps you have a death wish." Though one would assume Gertrude was joking, but in reality she was quite serious.

De Tanga however took this as a joke and darkly chuckled. "Perhaps. Though Luna hasn't tried to kill me yet."

"That's only because she still finds you amusing. I hope for your sake she doesn't tire of you before the ninety days are up."

De Tanga's eyebrows perked up at this comment. "Oh so you would approve of your eldest granddaughter consorting with a monster?"

"We both know you're not like other monsters." Gertrude stared De Tanga straight in the eyes. The older woman had powerful eyes. When you looked into them you felt as though she saw straight into the heart of your soul.

"I wasn't raised like other monster. Monster are created in one of three ways. Most are created from the power of their master. They emerge from their master's astral body and they are from a human stand point fully grown. They are aware of what they are and the world around them. This is the most common because you can create a vast army in a very short amount of time. Though this is quite draining to the master.

The second method is through death. The master kills their subject to be regardless of their race and brings them back to life as a monster.

The third is the rarest of them all, where a monster is 'born'. Those are monsters created in the fashion that humans are born, through mating. Two monsters of opposite genders procreating together. This means of creating a monster is inefficient. The female must go through a pregnancy period like a human and the new monster is not 'full grown' but a baby in the truest sense of the word. But once those monsters are full grown they can be quite powerful depending on their parents. Since this method requires little astral energy from the mother from a power standpoint it's less taxing, the babies tend to be more powerful from those full grown ones that emerge from their master. And the power the babies ended up with are very unpredictable. This is how I was created. I have no clue who my mother is or was, but my father was a radical human turned monster named Tangus. I was raised by his brother Tinnus and his elven wife Allara."

"Why were you raised by your aunt and uncle and not your father?"

"Monsters born of a different race tended to keep some of their previous power and identity post death and rebirth. Those that are reborn as monsters usually accept the change, as they wanted in the first place. My father hadn't wanted to be a monster. He resented what he had been forcibly turned into and held onto much of his previous human values. Though a monster he couldn't be completely changed so his soul was still part human. Through this fact and his radical thinking he managed to figure out how to feed on positive emotions. Because this went against monster nature he was killed for it."

Gertrude frowned in confusion. "He was killed for eating another food?" The idea seemed ridiculous to her.

"As I said this went against monster nature. And being a human born monster meant that he was persecuted from other monsters. Because they held onto power, ability and free will they had previously those created in that fashion were often hunted. My uncle and aunt shared a similar fate. I would be dead myself if it had not been for my master. Though my father Tangus was one of Hellmaster Phibrizzo's minions; my mother was apparently one of Deep Sea's."

"And the mother's side gets the child." Gertrude surmised.

De Tanga nodded. "Hellmaster Phibrizzo did fight for possession of me, but Deep Sea Dolphin won that battle."

"You must have led such a lonely life."

De Tanga didn't respond to that he just stared out to the lake. He didn't like to think about his life, and the things he had lost. If Greater Beast Zellas and Deep Sea Dolphin didn't trade off their priests every so often then De Tanga probably wouldn't have had Xellos as a friend. Though De Tanga didn't know whether he still had Xellos as his friend.

"What questions do you have for me?" Gertrude asked breaking him from his thoughts.

"Your family is well known among the monster race. I was sure I knew most if not all information pertaining to your grandchildren. Yet I know nothing of this Leviathan Inverse. He says he used to be a water serpent dragon. But I don't see how that's possible. What is he?" De Tanga had been meaning to ask Leviathan this himself but it was hard getting time to talk to the young dragon bartender. Many came to Leviathan with their problems needing someone to hear them and help them. And Leviathan was always happy to help someone with their problems. The dragon even sought out those with troubled souls hoping to talk them through their problems. And he was very good at it. Many tipped the bartender/psychiatrist well for helping them with their problems while he served their drinks, even if the patrons only drank water or tea. Not that Leviathan would charge to help someone with their problems. Leviathan loved to help others.

Gertrude laughed at De Tanga's curiosity. "My my, monsters are always such inquisitive creatures. They must know everything don't they?" She teased him.

"Don't think of me as prideful. I just like to understand the things around me. And I have never heard of a serpent dragon becoming a human ever before."

"You see this lake before us?" Gertrude motioned for De Tanga to look at the water. "This is where Leviathan lived before. He came to us a few months after Lina was born. There had been a battle far out in what used to be other great lake of Zelphilia. It had been between several clans of serpent dragons. We're not sure what caused this fight but at the end of it they destroyed a lot of the terrain around our city. In their wake of destruction a baby serpent dragon lay crying. He was mostly a water serpent dragon but he seemed to have some air serpent dragon in him as well as he could fly around. The other dragons had left and abandoned the little baby. Lost and alone many citizens felt sorry for the creature. So our city adopted the young dragon and brought him to this lake.

He grew and prospered and was loved by many. In turn he loved everyone back. But the dragon was most attached to Lina even when they were both babies. They got along so famously that Lina started referring to him as her 'little' brother. Living around humans with no dragons around made Lev more human minded than others of his kind. And that was most apparent a few years back when a heard of serpent dragons flew by. Leviathan tried to join them."

"What happened?"

"Needless to say he's lucky we have a lot of healers here. Otherwise might have died. Even today Leviathan refuses to talk about what happened that day."

"How does a serpent dragon become a human? He can't have done that on his own." De Tanga mused more to himself then to Gertrude.

"A few months back a mysterious traveller came and went to see Leviathan. He/she asked him what he wanted most in life. And when Leviathan thought to his answer to be human he woke up the way he is now." Gertrude explained.

"Strange. He's clearly not 100 % human, at best you'd say he's a hybrid of dragon and human. Is Leviathan a chimera?"

"I had thought that myself. I even tested his genealogy to get some answers. I ended up with more questions instead. Whoever made this body for Leviathan used Inverse family blood for the human base. In fact the one family member that whose blood is a closest match to Leviathan is Lina. They have the same blood type and his body seems to be same age as Lina. Which isn't terribly surprising I suppose, as Lina and Leviathan were born around the same time. Who else would this stranger use to genetically model Lev's body from but his 'big' sister?"

"So then he is a chimera then?"

Gertrude shook his head. "No, this is not work of chimera creation. Creating a chimera means binding creatures together to create one thing. The stranger might have used Lina's blood to make this body, but he/she didn't use a human being to do it. I'd say is some sort of ancient magic, like a forgotten spell or a mystical item. Perhaps some lost relic that grants wishes. Though why this stranger would want to grant Leviathan's wish is beyond me. Leviathan does tend to charm people with his quiet sunny disposition. Perhaps Leviathan helped the stranger at one point and they were just returning the favour."

"Okay so if I follow what you're saying, this stranger has made Lev genetically into a blood relative of your family?"

"On a genetic level, he's my grandson. He shares both Faithe and Blitz's genetic traits like as though he is their son. But with dragon genes thrown in the mix." Gertrude explained the best she could. Much of the city still couldn't wrap their head around the situation concerning Leviathan's transformation.

De Tanga wasn't fairing much better either. It was still quite confusing to him. "Okay let's say Lev is your 'grandson' genetically, why does he look so tall and muscular? Gavin and Lina are both short with slender builds. And Luna though not short definitely is quite slender. Why would Leviathan look so different?"

"In the case of fraternal twins though genetically very similar they can look like total opposites. One can be short while the other tall. And though I do realize shorter, more slender builds do run in the family you have to consider my son-in-law. He's quite large and burly just like my late husband was. So even if the short genes are dominate eventually a couple tall children are going to pop up down the family line. Though Leviathan is tall and muscular he isn't burly like Blitz is. His build is slim to medium and he just appears to be big because of his muscles. Gavin may be short and slender now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he grows up to something similar to Leviathan. Stunted growth is something that is very common in my family. So Gavin could just be taking a bit longer to hit his growth spurt. And I hope that is the case, the poor boy is a wee bit sensitive about his height."

"Well then, the Inverse family just gets more interesting to me every day." De Tanga exclaimed out loud rubbing his head. "A dragon getting turned into a human, I'm sure that doesn't happen every day."

"Lev isn't just an ordinary human though. He still possesses his water abilities but he can also change back and forth between a dragon and a human."

"Like a golden dragon." De Tanga added.

"Yes like a golden dragon. Now tell me, I've heard a great tragedy befell the golden dragon race. One that my younger granddaughter got involved in. Is it true that all but one golden dragon remains?"

De Tanga nodded. "Unless there were dragons not present for that battle then yes only one remains."

"And that one would be Filia Ul Copt, whom came here seeking out Luna's aid before."

De Tanga nodded once more. He didn't say much else he hadn't been there for that battle Gertrude was asking about.

"I don't know too many details of what spurred my granddaughter to string you into this deal of hers, but am I correct to assume that you are here to get over your feelings for Filia that last golden dragon?"

De Tanga didn't answer. How could he answer that question when he wasn't even sure of what the answer was himself?

"Are you using Luna to get over Filia?" Gertrude prompted again.

"I am here because my master sent me. And it was Luna that decided on this arrangement." De Tanga stated defensively. He wasn't lying; both of these statements were true. However this made De Tanga feel like he was only telling half truths while keep the rest of the information hidden. He didn't know why his master had sent him to Zelphilia or how long she intended him to stay. De Tanga knew that he could just go back to his master's lair and ask her what she wanted him to do. But he loathed doing so. After feeling so crushed and defeated he didn't feel as though he could face his master and his fellow minions. And he also knew that he didn't have to agree to Luna's little arrangement. He could have just left or not go into the restaurant for that first day of work. But he did. He didn't want to use anyone to get over another. And though Luna had insisted she wouldn't be a rebound De Tanga found that the woman was quite effective in making him forget about Filia.

"I hope you don't break Luna's heart. Because it won't be just Luna and Blitz gunning to kill you. I'll be first in line myself." Gertrude warned him.

"I don't want to hurt her." De Tanga let out a heavy sigh while looking back out into the water. "I don't to hurt anyone."

"Well now that we understand each other, how about you walk me back home? I do believe Luna has you scheduled for the morning shift." Gertrude surmised getting up feeling her bones creak. She flashed him a comforting smile hoping to fan off the gloominess she had brought up in the monster.

The smile worked and De Tanga rose to his feet meeting the smile on Gertrude's face. "Shall we?" De Tanga offered his arm to Gertrude as they begun to walk. "I wonder if this will start rumours about the two of us." He joked.

Gertrude grinned. "Well I am ¼ elf so would it be so strange of romance between an elf and a monster?" She winked at him.

"My dear madam you aren't flirting with me are you?" De Tanga exclaimed in mock surprise.

Gertrude laughed. "I should flirt with you in front of Luna. It could make her jealous."

De Tanga grinned but shook his head. "Nah, Luna already gets jealous easily. You should see how she acts when I flirt with the females customers. And besides I don't think it's a good idea for a grandmother to purposely be devious and mess with their grandchildren's minds."

"I'm good at mind games too you know."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "Tell me Gertrude, what were Luna's previous boyfriends like?"

"Many of them didn't get past a single date, so it's hard to consider them boyfriends. However there were two that got a few days out of her. But they are both dead." Gertrude stated matter-of-factly.

De Tanga was shocked by the blasé manor of her answer. "What? Did Blitzfaust...?" He thought back to what Faithe had yelled at Blitz that second day. 'She did say that Blitz either kill/scared all the guys that Luna didn't scare. And he did try to kill me...'

Gertrude almost laughed from the expression on De Tanga's face. The monster priest was no doubt thinking the worst case scenario. 'Of course Blitz probably would kill him anyway.' "No, my son-in-law may be bad tempered and over protective but he hasn't murdered any of Luna's boyfriends... yet. I'm sure he'd be scared to. Luna would probably kill him, or worse shun him." Luna had done that once. When Luna was little she found a little man eating demon and wanted to keep it as a pet. The demon didn't attack Luna but it tried to eat a couple people. So Blitz got rid of the creature and Luna was so mad at him. She refused to not only talk to him, but to completely acknowledge his presence. She acted as though her father didn't exist. This went on for a whole month. Blitz, a man whose girls had him wrapped around their little fingers, was devastated by this. Blitz knew not to make that mistake twice. " Luna wasn't terribly interested in either of them so they both did stupid things to try and impress her. That's what got them killed. Thrill seeking adventures. Both full of themselves and not that bright. Luna was just a challenge to them and no doubt they would have died doing something else if they hadn't met Luna. Truthfully you're the closest thing Luna's ever had a true stable relationship."

De Tanga frowned. "I've only known her for a week!" He protested at the two of them got the Inverse family home.

"And you're not dead or running in fear yet making you our best shot. Faithe wants grandchildren, and I want great-grandchildren. So don't mess this up." Gertrude threatened the monster before disappearing into her home.

De Tanga just shook his head as he went off to work.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Notes: I swear these parts are just getting longer and longer..._

**Just Waiting**

Part Four, Day Fifteen – 75 Days to Go

By Relm

On his fifteen day De Tanga was feeling pretty good about himself. Many people had doubts that he was going to live that long let alone last that long in Zelphilia. It wasn't as if he let up on his verbal spats with Luna either. Each day he looked for more and more ways to get on the monster slayer's nerves and she would do it right back at him. Every day that De Tanga got up he had a smile on his face knowing that he was going to see Luna.

Luna didn't make him work every day; she did give him two days a week off like any other normal person's work week. He worked five days a week though the hours varied each time. Quite often Luna would schedule De Tanga to work a morning shift after he worked the late shift the previous night. She did this intentionally to bother the Deep Sea's priest, but De Tanga didn't care. It wasn't as if he needed as much sleep as a human, he didn't even need any at all. De Tanga didn't care about what time he was slated to work. So Luna would also change his days off him too. He still got two days off a week but they were never the same two days. Again this didn't bother De Tanga. But one thing always remained the same no matter what shift or what day he worked. Luna was always working with him.

Being the owner of 'The Devil's Spoon', Luna made her own hours. Usually she worked longer hours than her employees and she took fewer days off. De Tanga still wasn't sure why Luna was so passionate about her job. It didn't seem like the Inverse family was struggling enough that Luna would need to work so much. Perhaps that had been the case when Luna took the waitressing job but that wasn't the case now. The whole family either worked at the general store, the restaurant or had their own things on the side. Before settling down in Zelphilia, Blitz had been a traveling merchant mercenary. He'd do odd jobs like slaying demons or beating up bandits for money. Blitz still took on those kinds of jobs, but those that wanted to employ him had to come to town and seek his services. Luna had traveled around like her father did in her early teens before buying 'The Devil's Spoon'. And almost every day she was there working.

So with that statement being true De Tanga was more than shocked to find out as he walked into 'The Devil's Spoon' for his late shift that Luna wasn't working. He saw Gavin and Leviathan but not Luna. Since Gavin was busy waiting on a table De Tanga went straight to the bar to talk to Leviathan. "Hi Lev, where's your sister? Did she work earlier?"

Leviathan shook his head. "Nah, Luna's not working today." He answered while wiping down some glasses.

"Not working? But she always schedules me to work when she's working." De Tanga tried not to sound disappointed, but his musing came out pathetically pouty. One of the reasons why he looked forward to coming into work was because Luna would be there. And De Tanga decided that bothering Luna and getting her goat was one of his favourite things to do in life.

"Um... she's... not feeling well." Leviathan's voice was cryptic. The young dragon clearly had more to say on the subject but was reluctant to say.

"She's not? Is it serious?" De Tanga was very concerned. Luna was so diligent when it came to work that it surprised him that she would miss work for a sick day.

"Well let's just say she'll be off work for a few days..." Again Leviathan was being cryptic.

"A few days?"

"Yeah like maybe 2-7 days."

De Tanga frowned. 'What could be so bad that she would miss a whole week of work?' He was both confused and worried. "What's wrong with Luna? How sick is she?"

"She's having her period!" Gavin yelled from the other side of the restaurant.

"Gavin!" Leviathan glared daggers at his brother. "You can't just go around yelling that sort of thing out!"

"Luna's not here so why should I care?" Gavin rolled his eyes.

Leviathan shook his head. "One of these days Luna is really going to kill him. Even if she's been forbidden to..." He muttered under his breath.

De Tanga on the other hand was quite amused at little bit of information. "That time of the month huh? Is it particularly rough for her?"

"She's the worst!" Gavin blurted out answering the question before Leviathan can. "She's usually in so much pain that she's ten times crankier and moodier than normal. She gets bad cramps, headaches and she bloats up like a puffer fish. And her moods go from angry to blinding rage. One time a kitty crossed her path when she was in one of her moods and she kicked it clear to the lake. Thank god she usually spends her time in bed during her period. It's like a mini vacation each month for us all."

"Seriously Gavin!" Leviathan protested. "It doesn't matter if Luna is here or not, she's going to find out what you're saying. And even if she doesn't, you still shouldn't be saying those things."

"So it's pretty bad for her then." De Tanga observed.

"Yeah." Leviathan nodded. "She doesn't eat much either during this time of the month. I'm always afraid that she's going to starve herself to death. But the few times I've gone to her room to being her food she's thrown me out the window."

"Is her room on the bottom floor?"

Leviathan shook his head. "No her room is on the third floor. But I think she only does that because she knows I can change into a dragon and float before I hit the ground. Or at least I think that's why she does it. Come to think about it she did throw that puppy out the window last month..."

De Tanga blinked in surprise. "Why was she throwing a puppy out the window?"

"I brought the puppy because I thought it would make her feel better but its' barking annoyed her so she threw it out the window. But she threw me out too so I caught the little guy." Leviathan laughed nervously. "I don't think she would intentionally try to kill someone that way."

"Has she thrown anyone else out the window during that time of the month?"

"Besides me? Well let's see... no one really, except Dad."

De Tanga sweatdropped. "Does your father know how to cast a levitation spell?"

"Nope." Leviathan shook his head. "He landed straight on his head. But it's okay; he's got a thick skull so he was fine... for the most part. You might want to stay away from Luna for the next few days." The young dragon warned De Tanga.

"Thanks for the warning." De Tanga went to go to the back to change. But on his way he poked his head into the kitchen and was surprised to see Whynn Nervin cooking. She was one of the cooks at 'The Devil's Spoon and one of the many chimeras that lived in Zelphilia.

No one was sure what exactly Whynn was a mix off, but it seemed that she was at least 1/3 human, 1/3 feline creature and 1/3 bird beast. She had been found as a young child on the outskirts of the city already a chimera and no memory of who she was. It was possible that she wasn't even human to begin with, most just guessed what her chimera counterparts were. And since Whynn didn't remember anything she didn't know why she chimera either. In fact she didn't even know her own name. When the Nervin family adopted her they were the ones that gave her the name Whynn. Even though she grew up in Zelphilia the most accepting city in the world Whynn was painfully shy and quiet. But that didn't get in the way of her charming the hearts of those around her. Whynn was a very sweet and kind lady.

As for her appearance her hair was long and blond and her skin was very fair. She had grey and yellow cat eyes, a black cat like tail and pointed ears almost elfish in nature. She even had fangs like Leviathan. And her wings were as white as pure snow like that of an angel. It was always a funny site to see a woman with such large beautiful wings cooking in such a small kitchen. Whynn always had them strapped tied close to her body so as to not get them in the way as she cooked.

"Whynn! I thought you were working the same shift as me tonight." De Tanga mused disappointedly. "Why are you already working? Did you switch shifts to avoid working with me? I'm sorry about flirting with you last time; I was trying to get Luna going."

Whynn blushed at the mention of that incident. She knew what De Tanga had been trying to do. Unfortunately so had Luna. "No De Tanga I didn't switch shifts. Al got sick and couldn't make it for his shift. So he asked me if I could come in for him."

"So you're working a double shift that's rough. Hey wait Al actually spoke?" Al, one of 'The Devil's Spoon's cooks and wasn't much of a talker. He was a bit hard on his hearing so the only word you usually heard come of out his mouth was 'What?'

"Yeah his voice was very raspy. It's probably that bad cold that's going around." Whynn said while dicing up vegetables.

"That's right; Al isn't the only one that's sick. Luna's not working today." De Tanga smirked devilishly.

Whynn sweatdropped. "Of course, right why else wouldn't she be here?" She laughed nervously.

"Yeah it's not like she decides not to come into work the same week each month."

Whynn narrowed her eyes at him. "Gavin told you didn't he?"

"He told the whole restaurant."

Whynn shook her head. "That boy. Between him and you I don't know who has a bigger death wish."

"But you know Whynn next time someone is sick I could fill in. Despite being a monster I'm actually quite a good cook." De Tanga gave her a smile.

"A monster like you who can cook too? How dangerous." Whynn mused with a laugh.

"A dashing monster who can cook." De Tanga joked as he went to inspect what was cooking. He opened up the lid of one of the large pots bubbling away on the stovetop. It was a soup of some kind and it smelled delicious. "This smells wonderful Whynn. Could you do me a favour and save me some of this for the end of the shift?"

"You want a late night snack?"

"Oh no it's not for me. So yeah if you could save me a bowl's worth to go after work I'd be very grateful." De Tanga walked out of the kitchen leaving a very confused Whynn behind.

...

Once De Tanga finished changing he headed back out to the floor ready to start work. He knew that he was early but he had nothing else better to do, so he decided why not go to work. "Hey Leviathan who is working the bar tonight after you go?" De Tanga asked the young dragon as he got his apron on.

"It's Devon tonight."

De Tanga frowned. "Are you sure it's him?"

Leviathan nodded his head. "I think after Luna saw how angry you made him last time she decided to schedule you two together just to get back at you."

"Is Devon still angry at me?"

"I'm pretty sure."

De Tanga let out a sigh. Devon Larle was Luna's distant cousin on her mother's side. He was originally a full blooded elf whom had been cursed with a chimera body a while back. But unlike most chimeras around Devon actually knew how to change his body back. In fact he had changed his body back and forth many times. Since Devon was such a flirt with all the girls in town he was generally happier with the tallness he got from being a chimera. Of course not all elves are short, but unfortunately for Devon he was one of those elves. So he stayed in his chimera form which made him tall with pale green skin dotted with reptile scales and his hair dark green. He got quite a few advantages from his chimera form but it diluted his magic capabilities. He was still strong in his own right but in a fight when he was in a pinch he would change back into an elf to give his magic a boost.

Everyone in the city knew that despite that fact that Devon flirted with everyone woman in the city that Whynn was the one girl whom he cared for the most. Except for Whynn that is, as she was usually in denial and couldn't believe that anyone could like her that way. So usually she didn't take Devon's flirting too seriously. Though it was pretty clear everyone that even though she was unaware of Devon's real feelings for her that she secretly returned them back. Except for Devon that is. It was painful to watch the two of them playing those cat and mouse games. So all was aware of this unspoken 'relationship' between Devon and Whynn.

At least that had been the case before De Tanga breezed into the city. With so many people to meet he assumed that Devon was just a big Casanova, going after anyone. He had no idea that Devon was particularly enamoured with Whynn. Most people knew not to flirt with Whynn in front of Devon except no one told De Tanga this. So last time when De Tanga worked with Whynn, Devon and Luna De Tanga tried to flirt with the soft spoken chimera in attempt to make Luna jealous. The only one that got jealous was Devon. And the elfin chimera had decided that he didn't like De Tanga.

De Tanga had tried to clear the air with Devon explaining his motivations for flirting with Whynn. But Devon wouldn't buy it. In Devon's mind there's no way that De Tanga would try to make Luna jealous. Because there's no way that De Tanga or any man would want to date his temperamental cousin.

And just as De Tanga was thinking about the elfin chimera in the door did he walk.

Devon had been smiling and whistling a tune as he walked in. But as soon as he saw De Tanga that smile faded the tune turned sour. "Please tell me you worked the earlier shift." He spat out at De Tanga as he approached the bar.

"Sorry my friend but it's you and me tonight." De Tanga joked with a half smile.

Devon didn't return the smile. "Why the hell does Luna have to make me suffer because you're an idiot? You'd better stay the hell away from Whynn."

"I explained to you already-"

"I don't care. Where is Luna anyway?" Devon looked around the room expecting to his see his purple haired cousin. 'If I have to work with this insufferable idiot then she's better be here too so I can give her a piece of my mind.'

"Apparently she has a sickness that lasts her about a week. And it seems she has this same sickness each time a month." De Tanga answered sarcastically.

"Yeah she's having her period!" Gavin added very loudly. It didn't matter how loud he said it, everyone in the restaurant knew by then why Luna was missing work.

Devon just shook his head and went t the back to change.

Once Devon was out of sight De Tanga turned to Leviathan. "How late does your family stay up?"

"They're all night owls. Usually they don't go to bed till well after the restaurant closes." Leviathan explained.

"Do you think it would be okay if I came by the house after my shift?"

"I think so..." Leviathan frowned in confused.

"Okay then, I'll come by after work. You enjoy the rest of your night." And with that De Tanga relieved Gavin and started to wait on tables.

...

Despite it being a slow night it went fast for De Tanga and Devon. Though flirting with girls was only fun when Luna around De Tanga found himself flirting with the girls he served. He didn't know how it happened but he found himself engaged with a flirting competition with Devon. To see who could impress the ladies the most. The looser had to buy the winner a drink.

Perhaps De Tanga's heart wasn't in it because he lost to the charismatic chimera. It didn't bother him much as he didn't wish to be drunk when he went to visit the Inverse family.

"You're going to take that soup to Luna aren't you?" Devon observed as De Tanga got packed up to leave.

"That's my intention. Soup is always a good idea when you're feeling under the weather." De Tanga explained.

"But she's not under the weather. And going to see her is... suicide. She almost killed a puppy last month! A puppy of all things!"

"If you were in my shoes then you'd know that it's worth the risk."

Devon shook his head as he drank his winnings. "Has your life been the miserable that you wish to die so swiftly?"

"Now now, don't talk so ill about your cousin. She's not that bad."

"A puppy!" Devon emphasized "A cute adorable puppy! She threw it out the window! You can't honestly tell me that is a normal thing to do."

"Goodnight Devon." De Tanga phased out rather than leave the restaurant through the door. He reappeared in front of the main door of the Inverse family restaurant and gave it a knock.

A puzzled Leviathan answered the door. "Hi De Tanga come in."

"Hello everyone." De Tanga greeted as he walked in.

Gertrude was sitting in a chair reading a book, Faithe and Blitz were sitting on the couch drinking tea while it looked like Leviathan and Gavin had been engaged in a game of chess before De Tanga disturbed them.

"De Tanga good evening, what brings you here?" Gertrude welcomed De Tanga.

"I'm sorry I'm here so late, I'm just here to see Luna. Is she up still?"

"Most likely. Why the hell are you here to see her so late?" Blitz growled at De Tanga.

"Well I heard she's sick and not eating much. And Whynn made this wonderful soup so I'd thought I'd bring some up to her." De Tanga explained.

Both Gertrude and Faithe swooned over that admission while the Inverse boys just looked at the monster like he'd lost his mind.

"You darn well better not think of trying to take advantage of my little girl." Blitz bellowed getting up to stare De Tanga down.

"Honestly Mr. Inverse as scary as you can be I find your eldest daughter a lot more frightening. I will be a gentleman I promise." De Tanga assured him.

"Fine but I wouldn't be up there too long. You don't want to give me a reason to be concerned." Blitz warned him.

"Yes Sir." And up the stairs De Tanga went.

"That's so sweet of him." Faithe gushed with hearts in her eyes.

"Luna is going to kill him." Gavin observed.

"That's what I'm hoping." Blitz smiled before returning to his tea.

...

Up the stairs and down the hall De Tanga found Luna's room. He realized once he gotten up stairs that he didn't ask which room was Luna's. But once up there he saw that the rooms all had name plaques hung with names on them. Once in front of Luna's room he gave it a light knock.

Something being flung at the door was the only answer he got.

'She must still be up then.' So De Tanga slowly opened the door and dodged a flying book. "Hello Luna." He greeted her with a sugary sweet voice. He was almost taken aback when he saw her. Luna was usually well put together when he saw her but she wasn't at that moment.

Luna's hair was a mess going in every which direction, including her bangs which stuck up revealing her cold purple eyes. Those eyes were blood shot and crazed as they glared at him with such fury. "What are you going here?"

"I heard you were sick, so I brought you some soup." De Tanga held up the bag containing the soup for Luna to see. "And you really must be sick too to miss a day at work. I'm told this is sickness that will probably last a week. How strange to have before hand knowledge of the incubation of this sickness. But then again it seems you have this strange sickness once a month." His voice dripped with sugary sarcasm.

"Who told you?" Her voice was low and deadly.

"Told me what? That you're sick? Well you weren't there at the restaurant today so I asked if you were sick."

"You know damn well why I wasn't at work." She growled at him.

"Well what other reason would you be in bed and miss work?" He said with a smile.

De Tanga did something few had managed. He'd gotten Luna red in the face. Whether it was from embarrassment or rage no one would know. "Get the hell out of my room!" She yelled throwing another book.

De Tanga didn't do as told. Instead he dodged the book and sat himself right next to Luna looking her dead on in the eyes. "You poor thing, you must feel so miserable being '_sick' _and all." His voice was velvety smooth. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" De Tanga was a bit too close to Luna. He was definitely in a danger zone but he couldn't help himself. This was too much fun for him. He could feel the swirls of fury and embarrassment emanating from Luna. Getting her so flustered that she couldn't even give a snappy comeback was priceless. "Perhaps I could give you a massage?"

...

Blitz decided to go for a walk after his tea. As he stepped outside he just narrowly missed the monster that came crashing down to the ground with glass flying. "Hmm... she didn't even bother to open the window this time." Blitz observed noting the glass on the ground before continuing with his stroll not caring about the monster that lay amongst the glass.

The container of soup was the next thing to go out the windowless window. And it just so happened to hit De Tanga right on the head as he laid there on the ground. All the monster could do was moan. Yes he had gone too far this time.

_Author's Notes: That's it, that should be all the main characters I'm going to introduce into Just Waiting. Any other characters that will pop in will be extremely minor. I realize I will need other people working in the restaurant besides Luna, Gavin, De Tanga, Leviathan, Devon and Whynn. Thus the reason for Al. Of course if you've watched the computer animated cartoon 'Reboot' you'll get my intended joke with Al. But I don't think Al's waiter is going to make an appearance in this fic. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Notes: I had to up the rating a bit. ::wiggles eyebrows suggestively:: And who knows by the end of this fanfic the rating might be all the way up to M. Well I don't know, it all depends on how this fanfic progresses. Luna and De Tanga do love to live dangerously after all..._

**Just Waiting**

Part Five, Day Twenty-two – 68 Days to Go

By Relm

De Tanga moved around his bed just being released from the lulls of sleep. The curtains were closed and the room was fairly dark so De Tanga wasn't sure what had awoken him. Was it a sound?

As if to answer that unspoken question a lamp was lit illuminating the room.

De Tanga rolled over to see who had turned on the light and was both delighted and confused to see a set of icy purple eyes staring at him.

There was Luna standing at one side of De Tanga's bed wearing a rather amused expression on her face.

"Luna what reason are you here for? You can't have scheduled me to work today. I know I have the day off." De Tanga propped himself up to look at her.

"Get up we're leaving." Was all that Luna said in response.

De Tanga pondered what to do with such an order. She had avoided his question and then demanded something of him. Mind you it wasn't a difficult request but it was still the principle. "I think I'm entitled to know what you have planned for me." De Tanga raised his eyebrow at her. Though he was pretending not to, he was greatly enjoying the fact that Luna had broken into his inn room. Since the soup incident De Tanga had left Luna alone for the whole week. He had been afraid that he had gone too far and that Luna wanted nothing to do with him.

But this recent event said otherwise.

"Get up." Again Luna ordered.

Sighing with defeat De Tanga rolled out of bed and stood before her looking her eye to eye. "I'm serious I would like to know what you're wanting me to do."

Luna didn't respond. She just stared while standing as still as a statue.

De Tanga stared back bemused. He didn't understand why Luna had suddenly froze and lost all ability to speak. She even looked like she had a slight redness to her cheeks. 'Is she blushing? Why would she be blushing?' A quick look down revealed the answer. Since having a long hard day the previous night De Tanga hadn't bothered to change into his pyjamas. And it had been a hot night so De Tanga had just shrugged off his clothes and went to bed in the nude.

He was standing in front of Luna butt naked.

And she was just staring at him.

De Tanga waited a moment for Luna to say something or do anything.

But she just stood there staring completely silent.

"You know, if you really must stare at me like that I feel as though I should charge you money." De Tanga mused flirtatiously.

At that moment Luna had a lot of options. She did have her sword strapped to her back so she could in theory just have killed him in that moment. Or she could have done the sensible thing and turned away. But no Luna did the only thing she felt right to do in that sort of situation.

She threw a copper coin on the bed in front of De Tanga and smiled mischievously.

De Tanga let out a hearty laugh. "A copper coin? Is that really all I'm worth to you Luna?" He picked up the lone piece of copper and placed it with his things. "Alright I'll get ready."

So with that De Tanga started getting ready. He picked out the clothes he was going to wear, brushed his teeth, brushed his hair, washed his face, shined his shoes...

...while still nude.

In fact De Tanga was taking great pleasure in going through his morning routine staying naked as long as possible. 'Have to give the lady what she paid for.' He thought while suppressing a chuckle. De Tanga even did some stretches and stomach crunches showing off his body any which way he could.

The whole time Luna just stared. Though the redness in her face was so slight that one could barely even call it a blush, but anyone who knew Luna knew that this was extreme for her. Rarely did Luna let anyone or anything phase her. But then again De Tanga wasn't any normal guy.

As fun as this little exhibition game was it could only go on for so long. Alas De Tanga needed to actually clothe himself.

A quick look out the window alerted De Tanga that the sun was just beginning to rise. It was quite early. "Luna what is so important that you needed to get me up at the crack of dawn for? I worked last night and didn't get to bed till quite late."

"Shut up you cry baby and let's go." Luna went out the door not even bothering to wait for De Tanga to follow. She didn't wait because she expected him to follow her.

De Tanga debated on not going just to see her reaction was. But he followed her anyway because in reality he wanted to follow her.

The air was crisp but not terribly cold. It was a nice refreshing morning after a hot night.

De Tanga took a deep breath as he smelled the cool air. Everything was so quiet as just a few souls were up setting up shop for the day.

Though Luna didn't explain what they were doing De Tanga eventually figured it out. They were heading to the farmers market to pick up things for the restaurant.

Walking side by side with the sun rising De Tanga couldn't stop staring at Luna's hand next to him. Though Luna had just roped him along to help her with her purchases he couldn't help but pretend in his mind that it was a date. He knew it wasn't, Luna was quite dead set against a 'date' until the ninety days were up.

But he wanted to hold her hand.

De Tanga knew that Luna wouldn't let him do such a thing. If he even tried he'd be likely to be flung into a ditch or a tree. Though the brief contact would be worth the possible pain he couldn't. Luna was in a good mood and he didn't want to ruin it. Or ruin any possible chances in the future between them.

The dynamics between Luna and De Tanga was both explosive and delicate. The both pushed each other's buttons but there was that physical line that they didn't cross. As long as things were done in good teasing spirit it was okay. But things weren't allowed to get serious.

At least not until the ninety days were up.

So that left De Tanga trying not to look at Luna's hand or alert her that he was staring at her hand.

She knew. It was hard for Luna not to notice. She felt his eyes on her staring down at that hand that was close to his. Luna would have most definitely caused him some sort of pain if De Tanga dared to engage in some physical contact. But that didn't stop her from thinking about touching De Tanga. Of course one could justify that it was because she'd spent the better part of an hour watching the monster putter around his room naked as naked can be. She felt her cheeks grow hot at the thought of De Tanga's body. Since De Tanga had insisted on staying naked for as long as he could Luna had seen enough of De Tanga to commit every inch of him to memory. Of his human form that is. "What's your monster form look like?"

De Tanga whom had been lost in thought was snapped back into reality by Luna's question. It was a simple normal question. Much too normal for Luna. No witty side jabs or innuendos. A simple normal question, like one you might ask someone were you trying to get to know. Like on a date. 'This isn't a date.' De Tanga reminded himself. "Well, I don't really know how to describe it really. A guess a sea monster would be easiest comparison. Though in that form I'm blue and green with very large teeth." He flashed her a smile showing off his pearly whites.

"Is that what your master looks like in her monster form?"

"No she..." De Tanga trailed off trying to remember what his master looked like. But then it dawned on him, he didn't actually know. "She's never shown it to before. So I don't know."

"With a name like Deep Sea you'd assume it's something sea related. Of course it's odd that she hasn't shown it to you. Does she not trust you?" She shot him a smirk.

"I am her most trusted minion." De Tanga insisted.

"Then she must not trust people very much."

"She just hasn't had the need to change I guess. She's not exactly as violently active as other monsters. She rarely leaves her lair." De Tanga explained.

Luna just snorted at that. "Your master is crazy."

De Tanga didn't have anything to say to that.

...

After Luna bought all the things she needed for the restaurant she and De Tanga walked to 'The Devil's Spoon' to drop off the stuff.

Luna made De Tanga carry everything.

Realistically being a monster De Tanga had no trouble carrying heavy things. But it was just the principle of it. She dragged him out of bed and made him carry everything like he was mule or slave. So it irritated him... mildly.

But you'd never be able to tell from the smile that graced his face.

"I was wondering something, you sister is off traveling the world beating up bandits for treasure. But she left Zelphilia because of you didn't she?" De Tanga wondered out loud.

"She's afraid of me." Luna said with an evil smile.

"What did you do to her?"

"A little something involving a few... million slugs." That evil smile just got eviler.

De Tanga raised an eyebrow. It was common knowledge that Lina Inverse afraid of slugs, but the cause of this fear was mostly unknown. But hearing that Luna had a hand in developing that strange fear didn't surprise him. "And why would you do that to her?"

"She deserved it."

"What did she do to evoke that wraith of Luna Inverse?" De Tanga joked.

That evil smile that had graced Luna's lips soured as remembered the event in question. "Lina wanted something that cost a lot of money. Mom and Dad said no; they weren't going to buy it for her. So she decided make money herself and cooked up a stupid scheme. She used magic to make large projections of me while I was bathing."

De Tanga nearly dropped the bags of produce he carried. "I sincerely hope that the men who saw you naked are either not in town anymore or alive anymore. Because if not I just might have to kill someone."

Luna let out a small chuckle. "They ran out of the city screaming the whole way. If they ever do decide to come back I'll kill them myself."

"I bet you will."

The rest of the walk to the restaurant was quiet. Occasionally they would both say hi to a random person on the street. Which that random person went off to spread rumours about seeing De Tanga and Luna together on a date.

"So you've got a long time before you open the restaurant... how about we have breakfast?" De Tanga suggested trying not to sound too eager as he put the produce on the kitchen counter.

Luna raised an eyebrow at her monster employee. "There isn't anything open at the moment. And you're a monster, you eat emotions."

"I can eat mortal food and I happen to enjoy it too. And who says we have to go anywhere to have breakfast? We're in a kitchen after all."

Luna scoffed at that idea. "You're assuming that I'll make you something to eat? Do I look like the domesticated housewife to you? Think very carefully about your answer." She unsheathed her blade and admired its glimmer.

"Well I'm not expecting you to cook. Though I think you'd need to know how to cook to be a good housewife and something tells me that's not your forte. You'd probably end up killing us both." De Tanga dared her.

"Keep talking like that someone won't be leaving this kitchen alive." Luna threatened him.

"Well on the subject of cooking; after what happened last week with Al I was thinking... I know you have Al and Whynn as your regular cooks and that sometimes your mother or grandmother will cook from time to time. But it wouldn't hurt if you had someone else you could rely on."

"Whom are you suggesting?"

"Why myself of course."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd think you'd be a good choice. Just because your master is good cook you assume that she's passed on her skill to you. Monsters are quite arrogant creatures aren't they?"

"You doubt I can do it?"

"You mean cook? Well I'm sure you could make something that would look edible though I doubt it would taste good. It doesn't seem like it's your _forte_." She used his word back at him as if to stick out her tongue at him.

"Of course you'd like that I wouldn't know how to cook well. Because if I could I would be that much harder for you to resist me. A smart, dashing, charming monster whom you can't stand to be away from is bad enough. But if I could cook too? Why I'd be afraid of having to fight you off me." De Tanga flashed her a smug smile.

"You really think you're that irresistible?"

"If I wasn't I'd be dead already." He countered back. De Tanga expected her to disagree and make some sort of snappy comment.

Instead she nodded while giving a nice long look over with a rather hungry smile.

De Tanga hadn't been expecting that. It threw him aback and he felt his mind befuddle.

Luna chuckled at the reaction she received. "You're... amusing I'll give you that. But making grandiose claims of having culinary skills holds no water unless you can deliver."

"Shall I make us breakfast?"

Luna sat herself down at a stool so she could watch.

"Oh so we're back to watching eh?" De Tanga teased Luna. "Well if you want another show I'll have to charge you more than a copper piece."

Luna was tempted to go into her change purse and pull out a couple coins. But as much as that would have been amusing to have De Tanga cook breakfast naked for them she couldn't risk getting caught. The last thing she needed was trying to explain why her newest employee was making them breakfast in the nude. Because of course De Tanga would no doubt spin it so that he was the wronged party and that Luna threatened him into cooking in the nude. "I wouldn't pay that much to see what I've already seen."

"Yes you did get an eyeful. I'd never seen a woman stare so intently at a naked man before. Obviously I caught your interest." De Tanga's voice was velvety. He was trying to get Luna all flustered.

But Luna just shrugged it off. "For a copper piece I had to make sure I got my money's worth."

"Stingy."

"Paying for something that I can usually get for free isn't stingy. Really I was just being generous to you." Luna stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh so you were being generous were you?"

"Yes, I know I could see you naked any time I wanted easily."

De Tanga almost dropped the egg he meant to crack. "You think I'd be so easily seduced?"

"Seduction would have nothing to do with it. If I told you to strip you would. And you know why?" Luna got close to De Tanga's ear talking in a near whisper.

"No." His voice was horse. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest as this was the physically closest to Luna he'd been without taking bodily harm. She was so close that he could almost feel her lips on his ear.

"Because you can't resist me. You are a weakling." She chuckled as she backed up.

De Tanga looked at her with a strange expression. He wasn't sure what to say to that. So he took a page from Luna's book and smiled suggestively while giving her the once over. "So how do you like your eggs?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Just Waiting**

Part Six, Day Twenty-nine – 61 Days to Go

By Relm

It was a day filled with apprehension as De Tanga packed his things for his trip. About three days ago Blitz, Luna's father announced that he was going to go on a supply trip to get merchandise for the store.

And that De Tanga was going to go with him.

Blitz never asked De Tanga if he would like to come with him. He just stated to the monster that he was going to go with him. In a Luna like fashion Blitz didn't give De Tanga the option to refuse.

This was strange for De Tanga. He had been in Zelphilia for almost a month and in that time De Tanga had tried several times to get into Blitz's good graces.

But he failed miserably.

It was very apparent that it didn't matter what De Tanga did there was no way that Blitz was going to like him. Luna had even pointed out to him that it was pathetic to even try. So this trip 'invitation' was so out of the blue that De Tanga had trouble understanding the motivation behind it.

At first De Tanga had assumed that Luna had put her father up to it. Just another way to push De Tanga's buttons. He had tried to ask her but Luna being Luna decided to be difficult in answering. It took a while but he finally got it out of her that she hadn't made her father 'ask' De Tanga to come along. Of course she could have been lying but De Tanga was pretty sure she wasn't, at least this time that is.

Given that Blitz had already tried to kill De Tanga it was a possibility that perhaps Blitz was going to use this trip as a way to 'take care' of De Tanga. But even this scenario of planned murder seemed a little unlikely. If De Tanga 'accidently' died on the trip Luna would still blame her father whether he was innocent or not.

So without knowing the cause for this trip De Tanga was quite uneasy to go. He debated on packing things to use for self defence not that he could think of anything to help against Blitz's large enchanted sword. And most likely if Blitz was going to attack De Tanga he would use the sword to do so. 'Better not sleep.' De Tanga decided.

Outside the inn the air was unseasonably cold and the sky still dark. If De Tanga hadn't been a monster and not really needing sleep he might have been annoyed about being dragged out of bed at such an ungodly hour. And even though De Tanga enjoyed early mornings it didn't help the anxiety building at the pit of his stomach. It got even worse when he saw the impatient face of Blitzfaust Inverse standing in the middle of the city with a not so impressed look on his face. "Good morning Mr. Inverse!" De Tanga greeted the merchant/mercenary with as much enthusiasm as he could manage.

Blitz grumbled in reply.

De Tanga wasn't surprised by less than friendly welcome by Blitz. It had become a custom for the both of them. De Tanga would say hello to Blitz and Blitz would either grumble or growl in response. It wasn't until Faithe gave her husband a smack upside of the head that Blitz would finally say hello back.

But Faithe wasn't there, so it was just Blitz and De Tanga alone in the still slumbering city.

Blitz stood against the statue in the middle of the city looking rather irritated. He barely acknowledged De Tanga as the monster got closer. Blitz just continued to stare down one of the nearby streets.

De Tanga stood there for a moment wondering what Blitz was waiting for. He wanted to question the merchant/mercenary but was afraid to. Blitz didn't appear to be in a good mood. And seeing how De Tanga was going to be spending the week with the man he didn't want to give him any reason to get angrier.

Blitz let out an annoyed sigh while shaking his head. "Where the hell is he?" He muttered grumpily.

"Who are you waiting for? Is someone else coming with us?" De Tanga dared to ask.

Blitz rolled his eyes. "Ordinarily I would go on these trips by myself. However since I got attacked that last time Faithe has been a little over protective of me. It's not like I got seriously hurt or anything. Sure I was bleeding so much that I had to stitch myself up with a thread and needle but I was fine after that. But Faithe insisted I take at least one person with me next time."

"So that's why you chose to take me along?" De Tanga timidly prompted.

Blitz scrunched his face in disgust. "I didn't choose to take you. Faithe made me. She's got it in her head that Luna is actually going to not only date you, but marry you and have your evil children. And according to her I _need_ to spend some time with you so I can _learn _to like you. As if that's going to happen. I don't want or need you here. I asked my wife's cousin Devon to come with us."

De Tanga was both relieved and annoyed at the same time. It was great that he knew finally Blitz' motivation for bringing him along. Especially that it didn't involve 'accidental' death. But finding out that Devon was coming too was what soured things. De Tanga didn't hate Devon or anything, but Devon still held a grudge against De Tanga. It was actually quite tiresome trying to get through to these people. 'This is going to be a fun trip, going with two people who hate my guts.'

"Where the heck is he?" Blitz stomped one of his feet impatiently. "I tell you he's never on time ever!"

"Well seeing how he worked last night maybe he was tired and slept in." De Tanga suggested, not that he really cared if Blitz was angry at Devon.

"I knew I should have brought Leviathan along instead of Devon. Lev is reliable."

"Why did you choose Devon instead of Leviathan?"

"Devon needs to get some magic supplies that I probably wouldn't remember the names of. But otherwise Lev hasn't been human too long and Faithe is afraid of letting our newest son leave the city. She's afraid of something terrible happening to him. He's spent his whole life in Zelphilia and being a dragon human Faithe is afraid how people will react to him."

"For someone who is so over protective over her family members she sure is quick to bash your head." De Tanga joked.

"Are you insulting my wife?" Blitz glared at De Tanga staring him down with an aura of rage building around him.

"No, no your wife is great!" De Tanga sweated nervously. "Who wouldn't love your wife?"

"Oh so you have a thing for her then?" The aura of rage intensified.

"No of course not! Why would I?" De Tanga laughed nervously.

"So my wife isn't good enough for you then?"

De Tanga was going to apologize again when he sensed that Blitz's anger wasn't so sincere. 'He's trying to intimidate me. Me a monster of all people. He's got guts I'll give him that.' "You're as bad as your daughter. I fell right into that one."

Blitz did something that De Tanga rarely got him to do, he smiled. "Did Luna tell you to stop trying to get me to like you?"

"Yes. In her words I'm 'an idiotic moron' to keep trying."

"So why do you keep trying?"

"Because apparently I'm an idiotic moron." De Tanga muttered sarcastically.

That comment got a laugh out of Blitz.

"Damnit Blitz why the hell am I out of bed so damned early for?" Devon growled walking down the street towards Blitz and De Tanga. "And why the hell is _he _here for?"

"De Tanga is coming with us."

"Why?"

"You want to complain to anyone you talk to your cousin Faithe. Otherwise shut the hell up. I tell you to meet me at a certain time and what do you do? Show up a half hour late! So you've lost all rights to whine. Because of you we're late leaving. So let's go!" Blitz grabbed his bag and started walking off.

'Definitely Luna's dad.' De Tanga thought with a smug smile.

...

The trip the threesome was going on was to a trading town called Valsteep. By foot it would roughly take someone three days to get there from Zelphilia. And that is if you stop at night to sleep. The whole trip there and back was going to take roughly a week.

Blitz had a large list of things he was to get rolled up in his pack. Most were things for the store like oils, spices, teas and coffee but Faithe had also put a few items she wanted as well to the list. Like a new set of pots. Apparently more than one of Faithe's pots had been ruined by Blitz's hard head.

At present Blitz, De Tanga and Devon had been traveling most of the day and were nearing time to stop and set up camp for the night.

It was a strange trip thus far. Blitz was irritated with De Tanga being there and with Devon for his morning lateness. Devon was irritated with Blitz for being irritated with him and with De Tanga being there as well. And De Tanga was just quiet hoping not to cause further irritation from either man.

Therefore the journey was a very quiet one.

To walk with such a large man as Blitz and have him be so silent was unnerving. What was Blitz thinking? Was he going to do something? Should you be leery of a sudden strike of a sword?

The thought occurred to De Tanga that Blitz was annoyed to some extent that they had a late start that maybe time was really important. "You know Mr. Inverse I am a monster, and monster can teleport. I could teleport us to Valsteep if you want to get there faster." De Tanga suggested.

Blitz scoffed at the idea. "As if I'd stoop that low to use a monster's ability to do my job! I have my principles you know! I will not have them compromised because of it's convenient." He said proudly with his head held high. Even though he was being prideful De Tanga could sense something else in the merchant/mercenary.

"This has nothing to do with pride and principle does it?" De Tanga mused. "Nor the time it takes. You miss adventuring, and this is one of the only times you get to go. Your wife doesn't let you go on too many crazy mercenary jobs anymore." He guessed.

Blitz frowned. "Now don't you go and start getting crazy ideas like I'm not happy being married with children and settled down. I love my wife, my kids and my home. But sometimes it's nice to get out of the city for a little while."

"A little time away makes you appreciate what you've got." De Tanga mused nodding his head.

"That's right. Sure my wife hits me and yells at me when I do things to get her mad. But then she also cooks me good food, makes me laugh and even though she's got small hands she knows how to make my tired and sore shoulders feel brand new." Blitz's mind drifted off to thoughts of his wife bringing a smile to the large man.

De Tanga couldn't help but feel just a bit jealous of Blitz. "Sounds like you are a lucky man."

"There's nothing that completes a man more than being married and having children."

"About that..." De Tanga started off. "Your wife is convinced that Luna will marry and have my children... Do you see her really wanting to have children?"

Devon let out a large snort. He had been quiet up until that point. "There's no way Luna would be happy as a housewife with kids. She doesn't like kids or babies."

"It's different when it's your own." Blitz countered.

"You're just hoping that's the case because you want grandkids." Devon chided.

"What about pets?" De Tanga quickly changed the subject.

"She threw a puppy out the window remember?" Devon waved his hands in the air emphasizing his point. "She's definitely not a pet person."

"But it was that time of the month." De Tanga insisted.

"Doesn't matter, that time of the month happens twelve times in the year. Do you think she's going to like the dog for the rest of the year?"

"She did have that man eating demon for a couple days." Blitz mused thinking about the trouble he had getting that demon out of the city.

"What about a cat? How does she do around cats?" De Tanga wondered.

"She's kicked a kitten." Devon answered solemnly. "She's not a very nice girl that's for sure."

"Why all these questions for?" Blitz questioned De Tanga while ignoring Devon.

"Well before all this mess happened and I ended up in Zelphilia I had left my cat with a friend of mine. And though my friend doesn't mind looking after him so much I'm sure my cat is a little more than upset with me leaving him for so long. I've been thinking about him lately and I'd like to bring him to Zelphilia. I've already asked the inn keeper, he says it's fine." De Tanga explained. He felt bad leaving Milo alone for so long. Truthfully in all the excitement he had actually forgotten about the little kitty. 'Milo might not even remember who I am.'

Blitz let out a chuckle. "And you're afraid that Luna won't like your cat? I didn't peg you to be a cat person."

"Because I'm a monster and evil monsters don't have cute fluffy things for pets?" De Tanga prompted him.

"Bring the cat back home. If this _thing _between you and my daughter is actually going to work out then Luna is just going to have to get used to the cat." Blitz advised.

"You're hoping that Luna will hate the cat and loose interest in me." De Tanga realized.

"Oh no of course not." Blitz lied with a fake smile.

De Tanga frowned. He didn't want to give Luna a reason to dislike him, but the truth was if he was going to stay in Zelphilia he had to get Milo eventually. 'Smu might be fine with looking after Milo temporarily but I don't think he'll want to look after him forever.' "Alright I'll be right back." And with that De Tanga phased off.

...

Smu Bishop mumbled to himself as he went over his building design sheets checking the measurements against his scale model. Smu had recently been contracted to build a new structure for Deep Sea Dolphin. He wasn't quite sure what it was supposed to be; he was going on Deep Sea's drawings and vague explanations. It didn't matter though; usually Deep Sea was happy with whatever Smu came up with. He was the one whom build Deep Sea's dungeon after all.

Milo let out a sleepy yawn as he curled up into a ball on a bookshelf. Smu's mumblings barely held any of the kitten's interests and Milo would often nap when Smu got into his work.

Smu wasn't a man that surprised easily. He was semi-immortal and had seen many strange things and dealt with many strange people. So when De Tanga phased into Smu's work office Smu barely batted an eye. "De Tanga it's about time you came back." Smu didn't even look up from his work to look his friend in the eye.

"I've come to take Milo back. Thank you for looking after him."

Milo upon hearing his name looked up to the source of the new voice. Once he saw whom the voice belonged to he seemed to roll his eyes before going back to his nap.

Smu chuckled. "Doesn't look like Milo is too impressed with you De Tanga. I would be too if I was left with a stranger for so long."

De Tanga walked over to the kitten and petted him behind the ears.

Milo whom had been trying to be indifferent to De Tanga couldn't resist the urge to purr. He looked up and playfully batted De Tanga's hand.

"I'm sorry little guy. Things got a little crazy there for a while. Do you forgive me?"

Milo grabbed his hand and chewed on his fingers before jumping suddenly and climbing De Tanga's arm. He got himself settled on his spot on De Tanga's shoulder before going back to his nap.

"Well I guess I'm forgiven." De Tanga chuckled. "Thanks again Smu."

Smu just nodded his head. "Any time."

De Tanga phased off and returned back to Devon and Blitz.

"He's a not a cat he's a kitten!" Blitz exclaimed. He was actually quite surprised to see the little ball of fur. Blitz had been expecting some ferocious cat beast.

Milo looked up in annoyance. Though teleportation travel didn't bother him too much, sudden loud voices did. He glared at Blitz for his loudness.

"I used to think that he was a kitten, but really he should be bigger by now." De Tanga mused realizing that Milo hadn't really grown that much in the time he was away. "Maybe Milo is just a really small cat."

"Milo huh?" Blitz mused with a smile. "Just to be safe I'd make sure Milo stays far away from Luna." He advised.

Milo just yawned and went back to sleep not caring about what was going on around him.

_(Authors Notes: This one got off to a rocky start. I know roughly what I want to end up happening with this fic but I'm almost taking this week by week figuring out what's going to happen next. I wait for inspiration to what thing is going to happen for that week. I've been lucky so far, the ideas have been coming to me in time to write the next part. I'm thinking I may follow Blitz, Devon and De Tanga on their trip for the next few parts instead of just jumping straight to another week in the story. _

_As for Milo and Smu... well I'm sure if you've read Mind Games then you know who Milo is. In fact the reason why I decided to throw him back in is because I just recently found a fanart someone drew of De Tanga and Milo on the net. Surprised the heck out of me. And I got to thinking about how bad of me to just make Milo disappear like that. And Smu, well he's just my random go-to semi-immortal guy. I believe he's now been in three fanfics in total. Basically he doesn't age, he looks like a normal human and he's an architected for the deranged. And he probably won't be seen again in this story. If he does it will be a cameo only.) _


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Notes: This part was a bit of a chore to write. I knew what I wanted to happen but I just had trouble sitting down and actually writing. My focus was too divided. And I kinda pulled a muscle in my right arm from bowling with my dad and brother. Yeah I know what you're all thinking, how can you injure yourself bowling? It's not a sport blah blah blah... Well yeah if you use the 8 pound house balls sure you'd be fine. But I have my own bowling ball which is at least 13 pounds (I think it's actually 14 but I'm not sure) and since I don't go bowling like I used to the ball is a bit too heavy to bowl for long periods. That and I bowled 4 games; usually I don't do more than 2 or 3. So my right forearm and my left leg hurts. Don't care though, bowling is fun especially when you can do it with your family. So I enjoyed myself. These little pre-story rants are getting longer and longer and progressively non-pertinent to the story... However 1/3 of the way in the story timeline! Yeah!_

**Just Waiting**

Part Seven, Day Thirty – 60 Days to Go

By Relm

Milo stretched while he yawned during the early morning light. Given that he had been sleeping indoors for the past month or so the little cat should have been shocked to wake up outside. But Milo was quite an adaptive kitty so he just looked around the camp at the slumbering trio.

The three men had decided to take watches, Blitz had first, De Tanga second and Devon was third. That being said not a single one of them were awake. Someone had fallen asleep on their watch.

This didn't concern Milo too much as there wasn't any present danger to worry about. As cats usually were Milo was curious about his new traveling companions.

De Tanga wasn't new to Milo so Milo ignored his monster master. No Milo's interests were in Blitz and Devon. Particularly Devon.

Being 1/3 reptile creature chimera Devon didn't handle the cold very well. And even though it wasn't terribly cold Devon's sleeping body responded accordingly. Devon was curled into a ball on his side with several blankets cocooned around him. He was close to the campfire as he could be without getting burned and still shivered despite this.

Milo cocked his head to one side looking at the chimera with curiosity. From his vantage point Devon looked like a very large worm. The urge to pounce was a strong one to resist. Instead Milo made his way over to the wrapped chimera and lightly pawed at one of the blankets. He tested the firmness before jumping on top Devon.

Devon only mumbled slightly in response. The extra weight on his side failed to wake the sleeping chimera.

Milo carefully crawled his way on Devon's arm till he was sitting on Devon's shoulder. Staring down at the sleeping chimera Milo still didn't wake Devon. Milo leaned his face forward till he was lightly touching Devon's face with his nose.

Devon's face scrunched up in disgust as he tried to swat away the cold thing pressed to his face.

Milo reacted by knocking Devon's hand away with his paw.

This action finally woke Devon as he opened his eyes to come face to face with the little curious kitty. "Cat why are you in my face?" Devon frowned with a sizeable scowl gracing his face.

Milo purred while rubbing his face against the side of Devon's chin.

"Alright I forgive you for waking me up." Devon petted the purring kitten.

"And why was Milo waking you up in the first place?" Blitz whom had also woken up was glaring at his wife's cousin. "You were supposed to be on watch!"

"How do you know that De Tanga even woke me for my watch?" Devon counted back sitting up.

"I know because De Tanga was being so noisy trying to get you up that it woke me up!" Blitz growled.

"Mr. Inverse we didn't get robbed or attacked so I don't think it matters all that much." De Tanga rationalized trying to quell Blitz's anger.

It didn't work.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! A man should be reliable, someone you can count on. Not someone who can't even stay awake for a couple hours!" Blitz growled.

"Well it was cold; you know I don't handle the cold well. It makes me sleepy." Devon mumbled defensively.

"Then turn back into an elf for your watch! Or drink coffee! I don't care just stay awake! If I come back injured because of you do you know who is going to get into trouble for it? Not you, but me! Faithe will just accuse me of taking some stupid risk. I refuse to get lectured by my wife because of you!" Blitz got up and stormed over to the nearby river with a fishing pole in hand.

Devon just rolled his eyes. "He's nuts if he thinks any fish are going to be in the river after all that yelling. He's bound to have scared them all off."

"Well maybe he's just going to fish to relax himself. Fishing is supposed to be a calming pastime."

"He's fishing because he's hungry. And he's going to be extra pissed when he ends up with no fish."

"Then I guess we'd better make breakfast." De Tanga fished around his pack to see what things he had that he could use to make breakfast. Of course given that he was a monster eating mortal food wasn't something he really needed. But in order to feed off the human emotions of his companions he needed them to be happy. And nothing makes a person more happy then a full stomach. He had remembered packing a few things but he was surprised to find all kinds of food shoved into his bag. On the top of this pile of food was a simple small note that read, _'You owe me, -Luna'_. De Tanga couldn't help but chuckle at the little piece of paper.

Milo looked up at his master with curiosity. He was used to see De Tanga being depressed and mopey but sudden bursts of happiness was odd. He climbed the pack and peered inside to see if he could find the source of De Tanga's amusement.

De Tanga scooped up the little kitty and placed him on his shoulder. "You want to help me cook breakfast little guy? I know you'd rather have seafood but I don't think there's any in the bag for you."

Milo whom had been taken away from what he had been looking at was irritated and swatted De Tanga with his claws and got a paw full of De Tanga's hair.

"Ow!" De Tanga laughed pulling his hair out of the kitty's claw. "You're sure grumpy this morning. Sometimes I think you forget I can't read your mind."

Milo went to leap off De Tanga's shoulder and land by the bag he had been investigating but instead fell into said bag. "Meow!" Milo mewled pathetically trying to get out of the bag.

De Tanga laughed. "Oh Milo!" He fished the kitty out of the bag. "Cats are always such curious creatures." He put him down by the bag. "Okay you go explore, but there's nothing really interesting in there."

Milo looked up at De Tanga and then back at the bag in question. But as he went to look into the bag he leaned a bit too far and fell in again. "MEOW!"

This time both De Tanga and Devon laughed.

Milo whom was not impressed with the laughter hissed in anger and clawed at De Tanga when he freed him from the bag once more.

"You're extremely stubborn." De Tanga brought Milo up to his face. Which had De Tanga not been a monster would have been a bad idea since the angry kitty tried to claw him. Instead De Tanga just smiled and put Milo down again.

Milo had just about enough of the bag and went to explore where Blitz had gone.

"Milo don't go too far!" De Tanga called out. "I don't want to have to looking for you if you get lost!"

Devon shook his head. "That cat isn't a little child, he's not going to listen or understand you."

"You can't blame me for trying though." De Tanga mused while starting breakfast. "Mr. Inverse told me yesterday that his wife made him take people with him this time for the restock trip because of what happened last time. He got cut badly enough that it required stitches. Do you know what happened?" De Tanga had been wondering about that. Blitz was a very strong and fierce swordsman. It was hard to believe that anyone could get the upper hand on him.

"Don't know for sure. He refused to say what it was exactly. Some figure he got jumped by a gang of bandits that tried to rob him. Of course he didn't come back missing any goods or money so that's a little unlikely. But even then I doubt a bunch of bandits could manage to steal from him or hurt him. If you ask me it's because he did something stupid. He dared fate and fate got him sliced up."

"Like what?"

"Probably wrestled a big bear."

De Tanga let out a laugh. "I could see that happening. Who do you think won?"

"Tie."

"Yeah I'd wager was the case too. Could you hand me that frying pan?"

Devon did as he was told but with a frown on his face. "Can monsters cook?"

"Is there some rule that I don't know about that says monsters are horrible cooks? Honestly!" De Tanga scoffed.

"Well monsters do feed off emotions and not mortal food."

"I feed off positive emotions not negative. And I find mortals get happy when they are fed. And since I have only the two of you to feed me I'll going to have to call upon all my culinary skills to fix the mood around camp."

"Why do you feed off positive emotions? I didn't know that it was a choice. Can you feed off negative emotions too?"

"I don't like negative emotions. And it's kind of a choice and kinda not. As far as I know I'm the only living monster that can feed off positive emotions. Positive emotions hurt monsters. But I think a bit of mind over matter sort of thing. We're brought up to believe that positive emotions hurt us in an effort to make us evil. So we cause mischief, mayhem and terror to get the negative emotions we're supposed to eat. And the positive ones hurt us. But obviously I can feed off positive ones so it is possible."

"If you can feed off negative ones then why bother trying to brighten our moods? Do negative emotions taste that bad?"

De Tanga shook his head. "I just like it when things are happy."

"You're weird." Devon rolled his eyes.

De Tanga chuckled.

While De Tanga made breakfast Blitz was angrily fishing.

Blitz knew damn well that he had scared all the fish away but he was angry and fixated on fish. He was determined to have fish for breakfast. His youngest daughter had developed a spell that she could use to aid in fishing that would attract fish to her line. But Blitz wasn't magically gifted like his daughter Lina. So he had to rely on regular fishing methods to get fish. Moving the line around to attract fish was a standard thing to do but Blitz was moving it around a bit too much.

Milo watched Blitz was interest. Being a cat Milo didn't understand what Blitz was doing or why he seemed so angry. One thing that Milo knew was that rivers, especially ones of that size tended to have fish swimming in it. And his cat hunter instincts told him that he was hungry and need to get one of those fishes. So at the water's edge Milo sat eying the water below him quite intently.

"Blitz, De Tanga is making breakfast so you don't need to fish." Devon announced coming up behind the angry merchant/mercenary.

"Shut up you'll scare away the fish!" Blitz hissed.

"I think you already did a fine job of that earlier."

Blitz was going to make a wise crack in response until he smelled the breakfast that De Tanga was cooking. 'No I'm fishing. I don't need whatever crap that pesky monster makes. I'm a grown man I can fend for myself.' He held to his resolve and continued to fish trying to ignoring the delicious food coming from the camp.

Ignoring the food got harder when De Tanga came over to Blitz and Devon with a frying pan in hand with food sizzling in it. "I made breakfast. Mr. Inverse did you want some?"

Blitz grumbled trying to ignore how good the food looked and smelled. "No. I'm fishing."

"C'mon Blitz! Stop being such a stubborn mule. There's no fish left in the river to fish for." Devon chided.

A splash to the side alerted the three men's attention. They looked and found a very wet little cat. Milo's fur was so soaked that he looked like a drown rat. But he only looked mildly irritated by the water. But that might have been because of the large fish in his mouth. He dropped it and it flapped around on the grass.

"See there's fish." Blitz went to reach for the fish.

Milo hissed at Blitz clawing at Blitz's hand causing the man to flinch and snap back his hand.

"Okay I won't take your fish." Blitz wiggled his fingers in the air to prove his intent.

"I thought cats didn't like water." Devon wondered out loud.

"They don't. Milo hates water. More likely he fell in going after a fish." De Tanga explained while handing Devon the frying pan. "Alright little guy let me get that." He went to reach for Milo's fish but the cat was being protective over his prize. De Tanga ignored the cat's hisses and scratches. "Now stop that. You want me to cook it for you don't you? Plus you're all wet. We have to get you dried off." De Tanga scooped the kitten up holding him close to his chest.

"Meow..." Milo mewled miserably as De Tanga carried him back off to camp.

"C'mon Blitz, if you don't come De Tanga and I are going to eat it all." Devon waved the frying pan of breakfast in front of Blitz.

"Fine." Blitz grumbled.

...

Blitz wasn't happy with eating breakfast. He had his mind set on fish and it didn't like the fact that he was stuck eating what De Tanga had made. What made things worse was what De Tanga had made was extremely tasty. It wouldn't have been so bad if the food had been disgusting. Because now he had to deal with the fact that not only was it not what he wanted but he was enjoying it too.

And Milo's fish being cooked by the fire didn't help matters either.

Milo's eyes were transfixed by his fish being grilled. De Tanga had wrapped the little kitten in a big fluffy towel and was rubbing down his fur. Ordinarily Milo would be squirming under the towel as he didn't like to be smothered under blankets or cloth. But Milo was hypnotized by his fish.

"De Tanga this actually tastes good." Devon exclaimed.

"Thanks. I find cooking therapeutic when you've had a bad day." De Tanga took off the towel and Milo puffed up like a big ball of fluff. You could barely see Milo's face beyond the fur.

Blitz snorted. "And what makes a monster have a bad day?"

"Having ten of your kind hunt you down to kill you just for the fun of it." De Tanga muttered.

"Why would other monsters want to kill you for?"

"I'm generally considered a traitor to other monsters. If I wasn't so powerful or didn't have Deep Sea Dolphin as a master I would be dead." De Tanga ripped a piece of the fish and fed it to Milo.

Milo greedily ate the fish De Tanga offered licking his fingers. In fact Milo was so content on eating that he dug his claws into De Tanga's fingers to keep the monster from taking his hand away.

"Ow! What did Smu not feed you?" De Tanga snatched his hand away and retrieved the fish from the fire for Milo.

Milo attacked the fish with an angry hunger crazed fury.

"The fish does look good." Blitz look longingly at the fish.

Milo looked up and hissed at Blitz before going back to his food.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just Waiting**

Part Eight, Day Thirty-one – 59 Days to Go

By Relm

De Tanga let out a yawn as he sat and waited for Blitz and Devon at a small cafe. It was still morning when Blitz, Devon and De Tanga had made it into Valsteep. One of the reasons why Blitz wanted to get to Valsteep early was that the town had a magic barrier around it, making it impossible to cast magic. And if there was any trouble to be had in town it was less likely to happen in the earlier hours.

Since De Tanga was only there as an extra body to make sure that Blitz didn't get into trouble there was no need for him to with them to the stores. In fact Blitz had insisted that De Tanga not come with him. De Tanga wasn't really sure why but he figured that Blitz didn't want his business contacts to know that he was dealing with a monster.

So that left De Tanga waiting till Devon and Blitz were finished. And since he was stuck waiting De Tanga decided to wait at one of the many quaint little cafes that dotted around the town square.

The cafe that De Tanga chose was one with a patio section in front. He didn't care about what sort of food the cafe specialized in, just that he could sit outside. It was shaping up to be a beautiful sunny day and there was something calming about sitting outside watching the city folk go about their routines. People watching was one of De Tanga's favourite pastimes. And when you could do it while enjoying a nice cup of tea it was always the best.

'Luna should think about adding a patio section to 'The Devil's Spoon.' It could definitely add the business.' De Tanga mused taking a sip of his tea. The brew was delicious and the atmosphere was so relaxed and calm.

No one gave a De Tanga a second look as he sat drinking his tea. Even with his eyes very open making it very apparent that he was a monster no one seemed to notice or care. Not even the waitress at the cafe seemed to react to De Tanga's appearance when he ordered.

'Valsteep is quite close to Zelphilia... perhaps some of that universal tolerance has rubbed off here. That or they are used to strange people coming and going from Zelphilia.' De Tanga observed while he ate a cookie.

Milo sat across from De Tanga with a plate of grilled fish all for him. The little kitten greedily ate every last morsel of food on his plate. Ordinarily a person asking for a chair for their cat to sit at the table was a strange request, as was ordering food for said cat. But the waitress had been very charmed by the little kitten (as most people were) and was more than happy to get Milo some of the best fish they served. Even though it wasn't typical to order it for breakfast. Milo definitely appreciated it; De Tanga hadn't heard his cat purr so loudly ever.

"Milo how is the fish?" De Tanga asked his little kitten while petting him on the head.

Usually if anyone petted Milo on the head he would respond by tilting his head in the direction of the hand petting him and purr happily. But since the hand that was petting him was interfering with his meal he chose to claw at it instead hissing.

"Ouch!" De Tanga pulled his hand back with a chuckle. "Really I'm going to have to have a talk with Smu. I don't remember you being so cranky and defensive over your food."

De Tanga's waitress chuckled as she came back out with the rest of De Tanga's order. "Is your little friend enjoying himself?"

"A little too much. I almost lost a few fingers just trying to pet him on the head. It seems my little friend isn't so friendly when it comes to his food." De Tanga joked.

The waitress giggled. "He is a cutie." She reached down and went to pet Milo on the head.

Unlike how he reacted to De Tanga, Milo purred happily for the waitress.

The waitress giggled some more. "Well he sure seems to like me."

"You know the saying, never bite the hand that feeds you?" De Tanga observed laughing as well. "Of course I am paying for this meal but in his eyes you are the most important person in the world right now."

"Well he's very sweet. Anyway here is your the rest of the order." The waitress placed a bowl of seafood chowder in front of De Tanga. "It's kinda early to be ordering lunch food. You must have been up real early."

"Yeah I'm traveling with a real slave driver. He wanted to get here by a certain time so we sacrificed sleep. So a bowl of soup is a very welcome thing."

"I hope you enjoy it." The waitress winked at De Tanga before leaving to serve another table.

Milo licked the very last bit of food from his plate still purring away. The fish was good, very good. But like whenever you had something really good you wanted more. He looked at De Tanga with a pleading look.

De Tanga shook his head. "No you've had enough. You can't snap at me and expect more food." And with that he went to enjoying his own meal. De Tanga didn't really need the soup; it was just a comforting thing. It had been a while since he had a nice bowl of chowder.

Milo sniffed the air smelling the chowder. Because of the seafood in the soup this caught Milo's interests. On the table Milo went and headed straight for the bowl.

"No!" De Tanga tried to shield his bowl of soup. "You wouldn't even let me pet you when you were eating so you don't get any of my food."

This was in vain because Milo just went to climb De Tanga's hands in order to get some of the chowder.

"Milo!" De Tanga grabbed the cat and held him against his chest with one arm. With the other De Tanga went to eat his soup.

Milo squirmed in De Tanga's arm and tried to intercept the spoon before it got to De Tanga's mouth.

"Honestly Milo! You can be such a pest." De Tanga dipped one of the cookies in the soup and handed to the kitten.

Greedily Milo ate the cookie giving De Tanga enough time to quickly eat a few spoonfuls of soup. Of course with the cookie polished off Milo was back at trying to get De Tanga's soup.

"Alright I surrender." De Tanga put Milo back on the table letting the little kitty have free range of his soup. "Honestly what am I going to do with you?" De Tanga went to pet Milo on the head.

The moment De Tanga's hand touched his head Milo hissed and clawed at it.

De Tanga just frowned and shook his head. "I get no respect or appreciation. Is it because I don't look good in a skirt?"

"If you did look good in a skirt I don't think Blitz would let you date his daughter." Devon commented while joining De Tanga at his table carrying several bags.

"Did you get everything you needed?"

Devon nodded. "Oh yeah got enough magic supplies for the shop and the school."

"Oh that's right your family runs a magic school too. A general/magic stop, a magic school, a restaurant... Makes me wonder if there aren't any businesses in Zelphilia that aren't tied to your family in some way." De Tanga mused. The magic school was primarily run by Gertrude, but like all businesses run by the Inverse family several family members helped out. Devon taught black magic, Faithe taught shaman and white magic and even Whynn helped too teaching white magic as well.

"Well if you count Leviathan's bartender therapy business that's another one." Devon joked.

"Leviathan doesn't charge money for it." De Tanga scoffed.

"He should, he's really good." Devon said with a laugh. After a moment his smile turned sour. "Good lord we're bonding aren't we?" He realized in disbelief.

"Kinda hard not to seeing how I'm such a likeable guy." De Tanga laughed smugly.

"No I'm the likeable one. You'd only be likeable by association."

De Tanga laughed heartily.

"Ah so you have a friend joining you too?" De Tanga's waitress came back with a glass of water for Devon and a menu. "What can I get you?" Her smile was wide and warm.

"Your name for starters. I'm Devon Larle." Devon held out his hand to the waitress.

The waitress let out a girlish giggle. "Oh I know who you are. There are few people in town who don't. I'm Candy." Candy took his hand.

Devon pulled Candy's hand to his face and gave it a kiss. "I'm sure you're sweeter than your name."

Candy giggled some more and blushed. "I'll give a little while to look over the menu."

Devon watched Candy as she walked off. His eyes were glued to Candy as she went back into the cafe.

De Tanga glared at Devon.

"What?" Devon frowned.

"You get angry to the point that you won't talk to me because I flirted with Whynn and this is what you do when you travel? Just how many girlfriends do you have outside Zelphilia?" De Tanga grilled Devon.

"Oh flirting is harmless. What's the worst that could happen?"

"THERE HE IS!" A man yelled from across the city square at Devon as he and a big group of men came rushing towards the cafe. "There's that womanizing ass who's stealing our women!"

Devon's eyes went wider than saucers.

"What's the worst that could happen huh?" De Tanga grinned taking another sip of his tea.

...

Blitz was humming a happy tune as he made his way back to the town square. He had not only managed to get everything on his list for a good price but he had also gotten a nice rose diamond necklace for Faithe. Which was a good thing because Faithe's birthday was next week and he hadn't gotten her anything yet. 'She can't say I don't remember anything this time!' He thought triumphantly.

It was actually a funny sight seeing Blitz walking with all the merchandise he purchased. Blitz was a tall and broad man but the sack on his back looked far too large and heavy for him to so easily carry, especially with one arm. It was even stranger to see the man that looked like he could squash someone flat with his hand humming and looking like the picture of happiness. In fact the sight was darn near scary.

De Tanga felt fear creep into his soul as he saw Blitz approaching him at the cafe. "Mr. Inverse, you look... happy...?"

"You would be too if you just bought this." Blitz handed a long slender black velvet box to De Tanga.

De Tanga opened the box cautiously and was greeted by the sight of the white gold pink diamond solitaire necklace. "It's beautiful. But really I'm a candy and roses kind of a guy."

"It's not for you!" Blitz snatched the necklace back with a scowl. "It's for my wife for her birthday."

"That's lovely Mr. Inverse. I'm sure your wife will love it. How old is she turning?"

"De Tanga the most important thing I can tell you is never ask a woman her age." Blitz was very solemn in his lesson for De Tanga.

"So you don't know."

"Never knew, and never want to know."

De Tanga let out a chuckle. "I'll make sure not to ask her age, or any other women's for that matter."

"Smart man."

"So what do you have planned for you and your wife for her birthday?" De Tanga asked while taking another sip of his tea. He would have been eating more of his soup had Milo no ate it all. And since the little kitty was so full he was sleeping curled up next to De Tanga.

"I'm not sure. I could take her out to dinner but she's eaten at all the restaurants in our city many times. And Valsteep is the closest town to our city but if I have to take her on a three day trek to go out to dinner it ruins the surprise."

"Why don't you make her something?"

Blitz scoffed at the idea. "Are you crazy? I can't cook!"

"Come now cooking isn't as hard as you think. It all depends on what you're planning on making. Why I know a recipe or two that not only looks and tastes good but it's almost foolproof to make."

"I don't know..." Blitz mumbled while considering the idea.

"Trust me Mr. Inverse. When we get back to Zelphilia I'll teach you a couple recipes. Believe me if you make her dinner and give her that necklace she'll think she has the most wonderful husband on the face of the earth." De Tanga assured him.

'Women do love a man who cooks... and De Tanga can cook well strangely enough...' Blitz mused thinking it over. "Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and learn how to make something... You're sure they are easy recipes?"

De Tanga nodded. "Of course Mr. Inverse."

"You know you can..." Blitz started to say but then cut the sentence off before he could finish it. It came out of his mouth so naturally that he had to squash it before he got it out.

"I can what...?" De Tanga prompted him.

Blitz frowned in thought. 'Should I or shouldn't I? Oh screw it may as well.' "You can call me... Blitz."

De Tanga blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Well from my understanding you're already calling my wife by her first name."

"She insisted, as did your mother-in-law."

"I know my wife wants me to like you, and for whatever reason my daughter likes you... So I'm kinda stuck with you. Obviously I would love to make your life a living hell, but if I did that my wife and daughter would make mine a living hell. So I guess I should 'try' to like you. At the very least if you're calling me Blitz instead of Mr. Inverse when we get back home it will get Faithe off my back for a little while." Blitz grumbled.

"Alright then... Blitz." De Tanga said with a grin.

"But don't you dare call me Dad. I'll kick the stuffing out of you!" Blitz growled.

"I promise I won't."

"So where's Devon? He should have been here long before me." Blitz looked around trying to catch sight of the amorous chimera.

"Oh there's an angry mob chasing him around. Last I saw they were chasing him towards the west side of town."

Blitz rolled his eyes and groaned. "What did he do this time? Tried to seduce a married woman again?"

"Maybe, there were an awful lot of angry men. Devon is a tad too flirty for his own good it seems."

"Honestly that idiot doesn't think with the head on his shoulders. So instead of getting a move on back home we're stuck waiting for that idiot to lose the mob." Blitz sat himself down at De Tanga's table with a big angry sigh.

"Well there is a bright side to this."

"What?"

"The tea here is lovely." De Tanga mused taking another sip of tea.

"We could just go and find Devon and rescue him." Blitz rationalized.

"Yes. But then you wouldn't have time for tea."

"Is the tea really that good?"

De Tanga nodded. "But we should go see if Devon is okay..."

Blitz and De Tanga paused in thought.

"Oooh! They have crepes!" Blitz noted picking up the menu on the table. "You know I'm sure if it's okay if we stay a little while. I mean Devon is a big boy, he'll be okay on his own."

"I'm sure everything's just fine."

...

'I hate De Tanga! I hate Blitz! I'm going to kill them both!' Devon mentally cursed as he ran past the two while they were eating at the cafe. He glared daggers at the two of them as he past. The angry mob was still hot on his heels. 'Women should tell you they are married, engaged or in a relationship before they agree to date you!' He tripped on a rock almost falling flat on his face. 'I wish I could use my magic!'

_(Author's Notes: I wanted this part to be more or less about De Tanga 'bonding' with both Blitz and Devon. Perhaps the part might have come across as a little boring or predictable... Or maybe that's just me being over critical... _

_I don't know if I'll go day-by-day with the parts for the return trip, but I'll probably be going back to the weekly format soonish.) _


	9. Chapter 9

**Just Waiting**

Part Nine, Day Thirty-two – 58 Days to Go

By Relm

It was day four of the boys' journey. With their supplies in hand they on their return trek home. Blitz was happy that he had gotten everything he wanted, De Tanga was happy Blitz was happy and letting him call Blitz by his name and Devon...

Well he was still pissed.

Instead of rescuing Devon from the mob Blitz and De Tanga sat around at the cafe chatting and eating lunch. The two sat at the cafe for hours while Devon made several passes with the angry mob hot on his heels. Maybe the first pass Blitz and De Tanga could say they didn't notice Devon or the mob, but ten passes later there was no excuse. The two men were clearly ignoring the chimera. This didn't sit well with Devon.

During the chaise Devon got extremely tired and had to hide so he could catch his breath. Stopping was always risky while being chased. Because if you were found you were screwed unless you could get away. Each time Devon hid he thought about what he would like to do with his traveling companions. Deep down he knew that the situation was ultimately his fault and therefore not De Tanga or Blitz's responsibility to help him out. But it was a matter of principle. Blitz was family after all! How could a person turn their back on a family member in need?

Quite a few times while being chased Devon had tried to escape the city. If he could have gotten out of the city barrier he would be free to use his magic. And if he could use his magic then the angry mob wouldn't be a problem at all. But Devon couldn't get out of the city. Every path leading out of town seemed to be guarded whenever he got close to escaping. Logically there weren't enough men in the city to guard the whole perimeter so Devon should have been able to get out on at least one try. But when being chased around like Devon was that somewhat made logical thinking a hard thing to do.

After several hours of chasing Devon, the mob grew tired and sloppy. This gave Devon his chance to escape. In his cloak Devon had a vile of a blue potion that he only used in case of emergencies. It wasn't something he liked to use, but he wasn't given much choice. So down the hatch the potion went when Devon got that window of opportunity.

Though there was a magic eliminating barrier around the city it didn't stop things like transformation potions from working. It just prevented people from casting spells. So once Devon drank the potion it began to work instantly.

The transformation was painful but quick as Devon crumpled into a ball on the ground. When he stood after the transformation he was a new man. Gone away was his scaled green skin and reptilian/demon eyes and everything else that defined him as a chimera. The Devon Larle that stood in that alleyway was the Devon had been before becoming a chimera.

Porcelain skin free of any wrinkles or blemishes, short wavy dark green hair as soft as silk, eyes a softer lighter green but extremely engaging, ears pointed and a smile that could melt anyone's heart. Yes Devon Larle an extremely hansom elf. He was so pretty that if he grew his hair he could even pass for a girl. Men and woman alike were charmed by his good looks. But he didn't like being an elf for one reason only.

He was short.

He wasn't two feet tall or anything but he wasn't the nearly the 6 feet tall he was as a chimera. As an elf Devon was just a hair shorter than Gavin. And though that really wasn't too bad Devon hated it. He didn't like people looking down at him. Especially when it was the girls he liked looking at him. This dislike of his height became more intense when he was first turned into a chimera. Being so tall was so alien to him. Though it was awkward at first Devon loved it. So much so that he never wanted to be cured. The person who cursed Devon had been trying to make Devon's life hellish by turning him into a chimera.

Since the man cursing Devon didn't get what he wanted he then decided to cure Devon and turn him back into an elf. There were several ways to turn something into a chimera and the process the man used on Devon was one of the few that were reversible. It was just a matter of magical potions. Making the curing potion was actually quite easy; it just magically nullified the bonds keeping the chimera together. So the three of them would separate. Putting them together in the first place had been the hard part.

When Devon was first cured he had been quite distressed. So had been his reptile and demon components. They had become part of Devon and didn't enjoy being separated. The two of them refused to leave Devon until Devon found a way to re-bind them. And Devon did find a way though it was complicated and required some special magical items to do the cursing spell.

So using that curing potion was something Devon rarely did. It was usually on in the case of fighting an opponent that required more magic power to deal with than what he had as a chimera.

But as he stood there in that alleyway he knew it was the easiest way to get out of town. They wouldn't be looking for a person quite so short. The problem with this solution was his demon part. The reptile Devon could hide in his shirt pocket since it was small enough. And it was a cute little lizard that was very affectionate. The demon however was another story. It looked scary and big, much bigger than Devon was as a chimera and towered over almost anyone it stood in front of. So the demon wasn't something that could blend in with a crowd. But the demon was fast, lighting fast so it would be able to speed out of the city in a flash. So that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the demon was extremely attached to Devon. It got very upset when it had to go any distance away from its' elf counterpart. So getting the beast to go ahead of him first was troublesome. Devon had yelled at the demon several times ordering it to run and leave. Of course Devon had promised the demon he would meet him outside of town. But that didn't matter to the demon. It didn't want to leave its' master alone in town.

So what did the demon do? It picked up Devon and ran like the wind speeding the three of them out of town.

Blitz and De Tanga had noticed this and finally decided to leave the cafe.

And that brings us to where we are now. The trio was on their return trip to Zelphilia but with others along for the journey. They had continued traveling till dark, set up camp and then moved on in the morning. Devon had refused to talk or acknowledge De Tanga or Blitz till morning. He was extremely angry at the both of them especially since the two didn't even try to apologize to the elf. In fact they acted like nothing had happened. And the two keep talking being all chummy with each other while Devon stewed in anger. In the morning he let the two of them have it after breakfast. Neither man was apologetic to Devon, as they reminded him that the mob was after him because of something stupid he did. That it wasn't their fault he angered the men of Valsteep.

"Devon why don't you just change back?" Blitz asked once again for the hundredth time.

"I told you I can't!" Devon huffed. Since he was still quite angry at Blitz and De Tanga he wasn't enjoying having to repeatedly answer the same question over and over.

"But why not? You just got a bunch of magic supplies. So you should have enough stuff to do the curse." Blitz rationalized.

"I told you I need some special magical items to do it!"

"So why didn't you get it those things when we were in Valsteep?"

"Because I was being chased around by an angry mob!" Devon screeched.

De Tanga chose not to comment during this argument between Blitz and Devon. He was too busy examining both the Devon's demon counterpart and Devon himself.

The demon was interesting; it was one of those feral types with limited intelligence that liked to cause mayhem. But being bound to Devon as a chimera seemed to have changed the demon's nature. Though menacing looking it was actually quite pleasant and good tempered. It also appeared to be smarter than your average feral demon. The demon seemed to understand human speech even though it lacked the ability answer.

And Devon was a big change for De Tanga too. Since Devon as a chimera was so tall the clothes he wore were meant for his chimera frame. Being stuck as a pure blood elf made Devon's clothes appear ten sizes too big on him. It looked like he was child dressing up in adult clothing. Devon's voice was even higher too. And even though Devon was irritated and yelling at Blitz there something melodic and soothing about the elf's voice. Devon was definitely one of those better looking chimeras and it was easy to see why. As an elf Devon was quite possibly one of the most beautiful people De Tanga had ever seen.

'He has more advantages as an elf.' De Tanga mused to himself. 'Being a chimera cuts down his magic abilities and his long lifespan as well as make him more sensitive to the cold. The only real benefit he gets is slight improvement on his speed and strength. Is being a little bit taller really worth it?' But as De Tanga thought that he remembered something about himself that he disliked. 'Living a long time means you have to watch those you love die. He's not immortal, but he'll definitely outlive any of the non-elves in Zelphilia. Living among so many humans, dwarves, fairies and other creatures that have limited life spans would be depressing.'

"If you didn't have what you needed to change back then why wouldn't you have gotten it in town in the first place?" Blitz yelled at his wife's cousin.

"Because we don't need those ingredients!" Devon yelled back.

"But you just said you didn't have them!"

"That's because I have them at home! I didn't bring them with me because I didn't think I'd have to change in the first place!" Devon yelled at the top of his lungs scaring all the birds in the surrounding woods to take off into the sky in flight.

"Oh." Blitz mumbled. "Well why the hell didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

Devon just shot Blitz a murderous glare. It was actually quite funny because even though the glare was meant to be angry and ferocious Devon just looked too damn pretty doing it.

De Tanga almost couldn't fight the urge to laugh.

Blitz however couldn't. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

Devon's fist would have connected with Blitz' head if it had not been for the demon grabbing Devon preventing him from hurting his cousin's husband.

"Let me go!" Devon screeched at the demon while struggling. "Blitz needs to die!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Blitz roared with more laughter. He knew he should stop but he couldn't help himself.

De Tanga just shook his head. There wasn't much he could do to defuse the situation. No matter what he said it was likely to make things worse. So De Tanga just kept walking not saying a word.

...

After a couple hours the mood somewhat settled down and the men decided to rest for lunch. Of course De Tanga prepared lunch while showing Blitz some basic cooking techniques.

Blitz had originally written off cooking as being one of those impossible things to do or learn. That he was too stupid and clumsy to manage to make anything right. But he soon realized it wasn't as hard as he thought.

"You're going to cook for Faithe for her birthday?" Devon raised eyebrow at Blitz after Blitz' cooking lesson.

"Why you don't think I can do it?" Blitz barked back.

"Probably not. But if you can I wouldn't make anything that tastes too good. Otherwise she'll be expecting you to do all the cooking from now on." Devon sat back against a tree with a leisurely smug smile on his lips.

Blitz shot De Tanga a look that demanded an answer. "Is that true?"

De Tanga sweatdropped. "Well that could always happen. But I'm just showing you a couple recipes. If she makes you make the food after that you could just make things poorly. And rationalize it by telling her you only learned what you learned for her. But even if you should still spoil your wife once and a while. She has to cook so much all the time because your family eats so much. Doesn't she at least deserve a break once in a while?"

Blitz frowned. "Alright you have a point."

"So Devon..." De Tanga went to change the subject. "Do you have names for your lizard and your demon counterparts?"

"I don't see them too often so giving them names probably is kinda silly. But I call the lizard Dragon and the demon Imp."

De Tanga frowned. "And they were okay with these names?"

Imp chose to answer for him and Dragon by shaking his head rather enthusiastically. And we're assuming that both counterparts are male since Devon is male.

"Ironic since dragons are big and imps are small." De Tanga mused. "Are you afraid of how everyone will react to you when you get back?"

Devon shook his head. "They've seen me as an elf many times. I was born and raised as one in Zelphilia before I got turned into a chimera. And no one finds Imp scary."

"Zelphilia is definitely a different sort of a city... I never been in a place where having so many different kinds of people is so common."

"We have the biggest population of chimeras for sure." Blitz agreed.

"And the most beautiful chimeras." Devon boasted with pride.

"Yes Whynn is very pretty." De Tanga mused with a laugh.

"I was referring to me but she is beautiful." Devon let out a sigh. At that moment he thought about what she would be doing. 'I wonder if she misses me right now.'

De Tanga smiled at the change in Devon's face. It looked far off like Devon was in some place very far away. "Devon what's the story between you and Whynn? You're not dating her, you flirt with other woman all over the place, but you get royally pissed when someone flirts with her. So what's the deal?"

"She's immune." Blitz darkly chuckled.

Devon glared at Blitz. "I'm not a disease Blitz."

"She doesn't fall for his flirty crap." Blitz explained ignoring Devon's protest. "He's asked her out several times but she always manages to change the subject."

"She just doesn't think I'm being serious when I ask her out. Which I'm not, of course." Devon huffed defensively.

Blitz rolled his eyes. "A man's pride is their worst enemy when it comes to relationships. Because Devon is too stubborn to admit he's afraid of her rejecting him he can't ask her out normally. He's a certified grade A chicken, feathers and all!"

"I'm not chicken!" Devon protested loudly. "We just like to flirt with each other. You know a game. That's all!"

De Tanga was almost going to comment with his own judgement of the Devon's situation until he thought about his own. Playing games got him hurt before and here he was playing games again but this time with Luna.

'But she started it.' One part of De Tanga's mind pointed this out.

'This game could end up the same way, with your heart stomped to pieces.' The other part of De Tanga's mind countered back. Which was the emotional side and which was the rational side was hard to distinguish at this point.

'If you completely give in and bare your heart and soul to her she'll get bored of you. She's only doing this for the game after all.' That first part reminded the second part.

'That's true. She said if she wasn't bored with me by the end then she'll date me. If she's bored then it doesn't matter what I do.' The second part of De Tanga agreed.

With both his emotional and rational sides in agreement De Tanga knew that continuing with the game was the safest course of action. Because in this case it wasn't De Tanga's stubbornness wasn't the enemy preventing the possible relationship it was Luna's. She was ultimately the one in control after all.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Notes: Out of all the parts I've written for this fanfic this one has been the toughest. I know what I want to do a couples days from now in the story timeline but figuring out what do in the days leading up to it has been hard. In fact I kinda just let the characters talk amongst themselves for the most part in this part of the story. So if this feels a bit fillerish I'm sorry. It's just more male bonding. Hopefully I don't put any of you to sleep. I'll try to make the next part more interesting. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Ten, Day Thirty-three – 57 Days to Go

By Relm

The restock trip to Valsteep had started up strange enough. A large burly swordsmen, a chimera and a monster. Now on the return trip it was a burly swordsmen, a monster, a cat, an elf, a demon and a lizard. The lizard wasn't much of a bother but even though technically there wasn't more people then what they started off with they were going through more food than they should have been. Even with all the extra food Luna packed they were starting to get low.

It had taken three days to get to Valsteep and it was going to take anywhere from 3-4 days to get back. Since they were already on their second day heading back it was more than likely it would take at least another day to get back.

So that left the boys with two options, ration the food or hunt, fish and forage for food. Well there was a third option, but Blitz didn't want to resort to that one. In fact Blitz wouldn't even let De Tanga suggest it. The moment De Tanga was going to offer to teleport them all back to Zelphilia Blitz shushed him. No Blitz was still being prideful and wanted to do things the hard way rather than resort to doing what is easiest.

They tried fishing but the only one who managed to catch fish was Milo and he wasn't about to share anything.

With Imp around he scared all the nearby animals in the forest worth hunting so that was out of the question too.

And searching for food might have been a good idea if they had someone who knew how to pick out good vegetation and fungus from the poisonous ones. Aside from things like apples and other tree fruit it wasn't easy to figure out what was safe to eat. And the trees baring fruit were few and far between. But even still a person couldn't live off just fruit. Or at least these guys couldn't.

So that left the boys with rationing their food. Which should have been fine since one of them didn't even need eat. But when you were travelling with an Inverse rationing food wasn't easy.

"C'mon can't I have a little more I'm starving!" Blitz whined as they continued walking after lunch.

"Blitz we have to save the food. So don't be a big pig." Devon chided Blitz as though he was scolding a little child.

"But I'm hungry!" Blitz whined some more.

"Have an apple." De Tanga threw Blitz one of the apples he got off one of the nearby trees.

"I want something more than an apple." Blitz grumbled as he munched on the apple. "A man needs meat and potatoes. Something with substance!"

"You wouldn't make a very good vegetarian." De Tanga said with a laugh.

"You're lucky you can feed off emotions, you don't need mortal food." Blitz grumbled some more.

"I can only feed if the emotions are ones I can feed on. With you guys so grumpy from hunger it's making for pretty sparse eating for me. If it weren't for Imp I'd be starving right now." De Tanga pointed to the happy-go-lucky demon that was happy even though he was happy as happy can be.

"Why is Imp so happy? He can't have been like that before he got pulled into being used a chimera part."

"It's me of course. My personality has rubbed off on him." Devon happily smiled.

"You're usually a bitter smartass." Blitz mused. "But then again Imp is kinda annoying so I guess he's exactly like you."

Devon glared at Blitz. "You're just grumpy because you're hungry. It's a wonder you even survived your last trip alone. You can't fish; you can't hunt and you can't tell the difference between a mushroom from a poisonous fungus."

"I can fish! It's just too noisy with all the people around me. And I can hunt but there's nothing here to hunt for at the moment. Again noise. And why would I need to know what mushrooms are safe to eat if I can fish and hunt?" Blitz barked back.

"And what were you hunting the last time when you came home injured? A bear?"

"I wasn't hunting the bear. It was hunting the deer that the bear was also hunting. The bear was collateral damage."

"So it was a bear! I knew it!" Devon exclaimed. "Does Faithe know you fought over some food with a bear?"

"No and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Yeah if she knew that she wouldn't let you out of the house for fear you challenge any creature that crossed your path. Like fight a dog for his bone." De Tanga joked.

"I said you could call me by my first name but I can take back that right." Blitz glared at De Tanga.

"Oh leave him alone you grumpy guss. You're just being snappy because you food." Devon rolled his eyes at his cousin's husband.

"And since when do you defend him? When did you guys get to be such good chums?" Blitz narrowed his eyes at Devon.

"What about you? You're letting him call you by your first name. When did the two of you get to be such great pals? Oh I know it's when I was being chased by that angry mob and you two were chatting it up while having lunch!" Devon snapped back.

"Oh god here we go again whining about that stupid mob! You wouldn't shut up about it yesterday and you're going to go on about it today too? God you are so freaking sensitive."

"Sensitive? Gee I'd like to see how you'd like after you get abandoned by your family members in your time of need."

"You caused that problem and technically we're not family. I just married your cousin. So you're my wife's family."

De Tanga rolled his eyes at the exchange between Devon and Blitz. 'Mortals do get irritable when they are hungry.' "Blitz how about I-"

"I'm not having you teleporting us back to Zelphilia!" Blitz interrupted him.

"I wasn't going to suggest that. I was going to suggest I go back to Zelphilia get some food and come back."

Blitz seriously considered De Tanga's suggestion for a good while while they walked. In fact he pondered so hard that he didn't speak.

Devon actually wondered if Blitz had a stroke or something and couldn't stop staring at the large merchant/mercenary/swordsman.

"No." Blitz finally decided. Though it wasn't a definite strong 'no' either. It was extremely weak.

"Are you sure?" De Tanga prompted him.

"I already made my decision so quite asking me!" Blitz growled as loud as his stomach.

"Yeah if you ask too many times he'll cave in and crush his pride forever." Devon joked.

"Well we're going to have to do something; otherwise you guys might starve to death." De Tanga mused while thinking.

"How about we get Milo to fish for us? He seems to be lucky." Devon joked.

"If you want to fight to get the fish out of his hands then you're welcome to do it. But I've had enough of him scratching me. Honestly he wouldn't even let me eat my seafood chowder." De Tanga looked at the little kitten sitting on his shoulder. As if Milo looked back at De Tanga sticking his nose forward into De Tanga's face.

"Ohhh... seafood chowder..." Blitz groaned. "Seriously did you have to bring up food?"

"So is Valsteep the only nearby town? Or is there another one?" De Tanga wondered.

Blitz shook his head. "Nope. What are we going to do?"

"Well the only reason why Imp is here is because he doesn't like to be away from you Devon, right?"

Devon nodded his head. "That's right; the big guy doesn't like to be away from me."

"Okay then how about this, I go try and fish while Blitz you go and try and hunt. And you Devon stay right here with Imp so that he doesn't scare the animals and fish away." De Tanga suggested.

"Excuse me, so I have to just sit here while you two leave me? I don't think so!" Devon protested. "You're a monster; do you even know how to fish?"

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "It's always the same thing with you people! Just because I'm a monster doesn't mean I don't know how to mortal things right?"

"Have you ever fished before?" Blitz interjected.

"Well no! But that's the point!" De Tanga protested. "Fine do you have a better idea?"

"Here, you'll need this." Blitz handed De Tanga his fishing rod.

"Blitz?" De Tanga looked at the rod as though it was some ancient relic that possessed magical and mystical powers.

"Break the fishing rod and I kill you. But your idea isn't bad. Even if you can't catch any fish if I could just get one deer or wild boar we'd be good for a while. Better I do hunting than fishing. And having you trying to fish won't hurt anyone. Unless you break my rod then you'll be dead." Blitz got his bow and arrow ready testing the sharpness of the arrowheads.

"Thanks Blitz." De Tanga smiled feeling genuinely touched. As much as he had been leery about going on this trip initially De Tanga was actually very glad he had come. "Devon I need you to watch Milo."

"Why?" Devon looked at De Tanga as it he had grown another head.

"He gets very possessive over fish. I don't want him going after whatever fish I could catch." De Tanga lifted Milo off his shoulder and handed him to Devon.

Milo meowed angrily, disliking being moved when had had been sitting so comfortably.

"You be a good boy Milo." De Tanga patted his cat on the head.

Milo playfully pawed at De Tanga's hand before the monster went off towards the river.

"Just so you know I'm not happy with this." Devon grumbled as he sat himself down on a stump.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and start a fire." Blitz said mockingly as he sprinted off into the forest while waving.

Imp and waved back before sitting himself down next to Devon sporting a big smile.

"Oh shut up." Devon muttered glared at Imp. "Why are you so happy for?"

Imp didn't answer Devon he just smiled happily.

With obvious annoyance Devon gathered together wood to use for firewood. Once he got it all in a pile he used a small fire spell to get the fire going. Once he sat back down Milo jumped onto his lap and looked up him curiosity. "When did it come to this? I'm a highly skill sorcerer who is extremely charming and handsome. So why am I babysitting a demon, a cat and a lizard?" Devon grumbled asking the lizard and the cat.

Dragon didn't respond he just curled up into a tighter ball in Devon's pocket as he slept.

Milo on the other hand didn't find Devon all the interesting and decided that exploring would be more fun. So he hopped off the former chimera's lap and ran off into the woods.

"Milo come back here!" Devon commanded. "I'm not going to go look for you so you may as well come back here. You're not my cat so I don't care if you get lost."

If Milo did hear and understand what Devon said then he chose not to acknowledge it.

"Why should I go after a stupid cat for?" Devon muttered under his breath. "And it's not just a stupid cat, it's Luna's monster boy toy's cat." Even though he said this kept looking back and forth between the fire and where Milo went. "Damnit! Just so you know Milo I'm not coming after you because you're cute. It's because I'm sure Luna would kill me if I did something to upset De Tanga. Because for whatever reason she actually likes the guy." Devon got up and headed toward where Milo went. He wanted to tell Imp to stay near the fire but he knew that Imp was going to follow him anyway.

The direction that Milo headed off to wasn't a path fit for a person. In fact it wasn't a path at all. The woods were very dense and Devon had to duck under low hanging branches and move bushes out of his way.

"Seriously Milo couldn't you have gone some place easier to get to?" Devon yelled out in frustration.

Behind Devon the sound of inhuman whimpering caught the former chimera's attention.

Devon looked behind him and saw that Imp had gotten himself tangled a couple of the tree branches. They were snagged on his fur and he couldn't get himself free. Had Devon not been so irritated at that moment he might have found the situation comical.

Devon just shook his head. "Imp I'm sorry I'll be back and get you out."

Imp just whimpered louder the farther away Devon got.

"Milo come back you're making Imp very upset. That's not a very nice kitty." Devon called out to Milo even though he knew that Milo wasn't going to understand or care. He looked back at Imp one more time as he walked forward and tripped on a tree root. "OW! Damnit!" Devon fell forward on his face getting it full of dirt.

"Meow?"

Devon looked up and there was Milo looking at him with a sidewise glance. "Couldn't you have showed up before I tripped?"

Milo didn't answer he just picked up something with his mouth and hopped his way back to the fire climbing over Devon.

Devon let out a sigh as he got up and dusted the dirt from his face and clothes.

...

When Devon got back to the fire he found Milo sitting looking ever so innocent with his prize on the ground before him.

"What is that?" Devon went to pick up the furry mass in front of the cat.

Milo let out a big hiss and tried to claw at Devon.

Devon snatched his hand back. "Why are you being so snippy?" Devon looked around at the large mass and realized it was a rabbit. And quite a large one at that. "How in the world did you hunt something down that is bigger than you?"

"Meow?"

"If you want me to cook that I'm going to have to take it." Devon reached for the dead rabbit and Milo clawed at him once more. "Seriously I'm not going to take your food from you. Though that rabbit does look tasty." As Devon went to grab the rabbit from Milo the rabbit sprung back to life and looked at him. "GWAAAAAAH!" Devon screamed and dropped the rabbit.

The rabbit though frightened and not dead hopped off with as much speed as it could.

"Unless that was a zombie bunny it wasn't dead after all." Devon mused while he tried to calm his racing heart.

Milo hissed at Devon obvious not happy that Devon lost his lunch.


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Notes: I tried to proof read this, but truthfully I'm just too tired to. I've been working overnights all week and my brain is in a fog. It can't make sense of what day it is much less pick out grammar and typing errors. So if there are a lot I'm sorry. I'm just not in the right frame of mind to pick them out. In fact I'm surprised I even managed to get this part written. Again it's fillerish. But don't worry the boys are going to be coming home very soon. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Eleven, Day Thirty-four – 56 Days to Go

By Relm

Luna looked out the window the 'Devil's Spoon' restaurant with a reflective calmness to her eyes. She was staring out at the rain as it pattered down on the streets of Zelphilia. Rainy mornings usually brought in a different sort of a crowd to the restaurant. Never did the visitors come on those really cold rainy days. It was usually only the locals, the lonely ones that didn't have much reason to stay home in the first place. The ones that didn't have people waiting for them to return. On cold days like this a hot bowl of soup or a warm breakfast was a creature comfort that the lonely sought out.

So the patrons at the restaurant that cold morning were few and quiet. No one to complain about Luna's distractedness or try to get her attention. Luna was left alone in musing for the most part.

It was hard to say what was going through Luna's mind at that moment. Even as she went back serving her customers she seemed to be far away. Drifting off into space and daydreaming wasn't something that Luna was known for. So with such an uncertain state of mind most knew questioning Luna on this was probably not a smart idea.

Leviathan however didn't fear his older sister like most people in the city. "Luna what's wrong? You seem to be a mile away."

Luna snapped her head to glare at her 'newest brother'. "Why don't you get back to serving drinks rather than pry on my private life."

"Everyone is drinking coffee, so not requiring much of my bartending skills. And why is wondering why you're so far away prying into your private life? Are you thinking about someone special?" Leviathan looked at Luna with a slightly smug smile.

"Just because everyone in town comes to you with their problems doesn't mean I'm going to spill my soul just because I'm 'far away'!" Luna sneered grabbing an order from the kitchen to serve.

"Alright I'm sorry I pried." Leviathan let out a sad sigh. It was true that everyone usually came to Leviathan with their problems but Luna was never one of them. Sure she might have whined to him once and awhile when he was still a serpent dragon but she broke down and really vented. And since Leviathan had gained his 'humanity' Luna wouldn't even whine to him like she used to. Most people in the city had either treated Leviathan the same or better then they had when he was a dragon. But Luna was a different story. She seemed to have problems accepting this new Leviathan. Leviathan could have been upset by this. But he knew that it all boiled down to Luna's trust issues. When he couldn't talk back it was safe to talk to him. Now that he could Luna didn't feel like she could trust him like she used to. It did hurt but he knew that time was what Luna needed to feel like she could trust him again. Leviathan wanted to be helpful and be liked. And even though Luna didn't appear to like Leviathan by outsider's standards he did care quite a bit about Luna.

After Luna placed the order at its appropriate table she looked back at Leviathan noting his hurt expression. Mentally she kicked herself. Usually she didn't care if she upset anyone but Leviathan was always a different story. He was like a dumb loveable puppy that followed you around no matter how mean you were to it. It's not like she cared for Leviathan any less then when he was a dragon. But Luna was never one to express her emotions well. And it didn't help matters that Leviathan didn't seem to be rattled by her presence and/or temper like most. Leviathan as he did with everyone he met saw a person not for their worst qualities but for the best that was in them. Even if it was so hidden away that it was doubtful that there was any goodness in them to be begin with.

Luna was used to be being feared. She was used to having people accommodating her wants and demands. She was also used to having people accept whatever orders she made. She wasn't used to having someone questions the motives behind the commands. She wasn't used to someone standing up to her with not an ounce of fear. Try as she may Luna just couldn't scare Leviathan. At least with De Tanga there was some understanding albeit strange but it was something that Luna was comfortable with.

Faithe had said many times to Luna to look out for Leviathan. To help him fit him so he didn't get persecuted. But the reality was Leviathan did extremely well around people. A hundred times better than she ever did.

Still snapping at him when he was just curious wasn't being a good sister. Leviathan had done nothing in his 15+ years of life to warrant such behaviour. "It's raining." She said plainly.

Leviathan's face perked up. Though it was just a simple two word fact Leviathan knew this was Luna's way of apologizing. "Yeah and it's really cold too. I'll be surprised if we even get enough customers today to even fill half the restaurant."

Luna studied her 'brother' curiously. The dragon born human seemed to have brushed off the earlier indifference and was back to his cheerful self. "I wonder if it's raining hard for them."

'Ah.' Leviathan thought to himself triumphantly. 'Either she's thinking about dad or De Tanga. I bet she's thinking how much she misses De Tanga.' Luna had been acting strange for the whole time the men were off on their trip. Some days Luna was very quiet other days overly irritable. "It probably is raining hard and Dad is probably in a foul mood. You know how much he hates the rain."

"Yes he does."

A silence followed the two Inverse siblings as they both stared out at the rain.

"They're supposed to come back today or tomorrow." Luna observed breaking the silence.

"And you're wondering if the rain is going to delay them?" Leviathan guessed. "Are you worried about them?"

Luna scrunched her face into a frown. "Why would I be worried for? They are grown men and they can take care of themselves!" She scoffed while wiping down a table.

"Because it's raining. The ground is going to be more slippery, so more chance of slipping and hurting yourself. Devon can cast black magic very proficiently but he's not so good when it comes to white spells. If one of them got hurt they wouldn't have magic to rely on. And not to mention the rain is cold and a bit out of season. So I doubt any of them brought proper coats. They could all get sick." Leviathan mused.

Luna glared at him. The only thing had she had been thinking about was how the rain might delay the boys coming home. Now she had a host of bad things to think about. She didn't worry that De Tanga was going to get sick or hurt himself. Both things seemed unlikely for a monster. But she did worry about her father. After how badly injured he was coming back from that last trip Luna just couldn't help it. Of course she did care about her cousin as well but Devon was never the first concern on her mind. 'De Tanga you'd better be taking care of my father!' Luna mentally declared. 'And get your butt back here soon.'

...

De Tanga looked at the droplets of water that splashed down on the ground almost in a trance. There was something hypnotic about the rhythm nature chose to play. Though the sounds were just random drops it was a slumbering melody both calming and soothing to the soul. Perhaps if De Tanga had not been a monster and was a human he'd feel sleepy watching and listening to the rain. Either way he still appreciated the concert nature played for them as they all huddled under a couple large trees.

As soon as it started raining both Blitz and Devon decreed they were going to stop and wait out the rain. Neither man was found of the rain and didn't want to be traveling in it.

"It's too cold for this time of the year!" Devon whined as he shivered.

"Why are you complaining so much?" Blitz snapped at Devon while also shivering. "You're not in your chimera form so you should be fine in the cold!"

"It doesn't matter I don't like the cold to start off with!" Devon tried to rub some warmth back into his arms though it was in vain. A gust of wind blew by making Devon shiver more.

De Tanga held out a hand to capture a few of the falling droplets. The rain was cold against his skin almost like ice. Add it with the freezing breezes it was definitely cold. "It shouldn't be so cold around here during this time of the year." De Tanga mused.

"It happens." Blitz explained. "These freak rainstorms blow in and it's really cold and rainy. It doesn't matter if it's in the middle of summer, when these storms blow in it might as well be the dead of winter."

"Something like that would generally imply magic was involved. Perhaps a curse placed on the area long ago?" De Tanga suggested.

Blitz didn't answer he just shrugged. Or rather you could assume he had been shrugging as it was hard to tell with the large man shivering so much.

Blitz and Devon weren't the only ones shivering and not enjoying the cold. Milo and Dragon both weren't fairing well. Dragon was still tucked away in Devon's shirt and Milo had curled up in a little ball huddling as close to De Tanga as he could. De Tanga felt bad for the little guy and wrapped the little kitty in his arms almost like a baby. Usually not liking confinement Milo actually seemed to enjoy being held for once. He purred into De Tanga's arms as he drifted off to sleep.

The only person that seemed to enjoy the rain was Imp. And he did so with much gusto. The large feral looking demon danced around in the rain looking happier than a chocoholic in a candy store. It was a truly strange sight.

"I'm actually surprised you didn't want to go pressing forward despite the rain." De Tanga admitted while trying to ignore the dancing demon. "You don't seem like the kind of guy to back down to any foe."

"When that foe is mother nature you always back down. Because she can be one fearsome bitch. She doesn't care who you are or how powerful you maybe, if she wants to make your life miserable she can do so with much ease."

"This is going to delay us getting back home on time. We're supposed to be in today or tomorrow. Do you really want to wait for the rain to let up before we continue on?" De Tanga questioned the large swordsmen. He himself didn't really care for the rain or the cold. As a monster it didn't really affect him that much. "What if the rain doesn't stop for days? Even with the food we managed to get yesterday it's not going to last more than a few days. Waiting around for too long wouldn't be a good idea." Even though De Tanga didn't say it out loud both Blitz and Devon knew what De Tanga was getting at.

"Again with the teleporting! What is it with you? This whole trip you've been looking for excuses to teleport back to Zelphilia." Blitz snapped. "Do you really miss my daughter that much that you can't stand to be away from her?"

De Tanga chewed on his bottom lip debating on how to answer that delicate question. Truthfully he was more or less thinking about what was best for Blitz and Devon. But as he thought about it the desire to return quickly may have been a factor in persistently suggesting taking them home via teleportation. "Do I?" De Tanga mumbled to himself.

Blitz let out a shivered chuckle. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger and you don't even know it. Faithe is very good at doing that, so I'm not surprised Luna is good at it too."

"Luna doesn't have been wrapped around her finger." De Tanga protested even though he knew that wasn't true. He'd tried many times to exercise his free will by refusing to do the things Luna ordered him to do. Though he was very defiant about saying no somehow how he just ended up doing it anyway.

"Ah yes denial. I remember what that was like. Thinking you were a man who dictated his own actions and didn't take orders. But then you'd be doing her bidding and she'd even have you think it was your idea to do it in the first place! It used to drive me crazy because I'd tell no to Faithe a dozen times just to find myself doing what it was she wanted me to do. And I wouldn't remember how I ended up doing it. Either she's just really good at manipulating people or she's just using magic on me." Blitz mused reflecting back on his 'dating' days with Faithe. Of course it wasn't so much as dating as it was bickering. The two used to argue like cats and dogs. But both of them loved to argue so though it looked like they hated each other truthfully they just couldn't stay away.

"Something tells me she wouldn't need to use magic on you."

"Are you saying I'm a simpleminded fool that can be convinced to do any stupid thing?" Blitz growled.

"That's what I'd say." Devon interjected. "But that's only because I know you."

Blitz glared at Devon before returning his glare back to De Tanga.

"I just think your wife is good at convincing people to do things." De Tanga observed with a sweatdrop.

"Oh so you're calling my wife manipulative?"

De Tanga frowned. "No, actually that's what you called her."

Blitz was going to argue but then he realized what De Tanga meant. "My wife is a wonderful woman."

"Yes and you just like to be a good husband and do what she asks." De Tanga offered.

"Yeah!" Blitz agreed sheepishly. "I am a good husband. That's why I do what she asks me to do. Because that's what a real man does."

Devon rolled his eyes. "No you're just whipped and too proud to admit it. You're actually kind of pathetic."

Blitz glared at Devon again. "I will kill you you know that."

"No you won't. Just like you won't kill De Tanga either. Because you're scared of the women in your life."

"I could still hurt you."

Devon snorted. "You could try but my magic says you couldn't land a single blow."

"A real man doesn't use magic to fight his battles. He does so on his own skill and strength." Blitz boasted proudly.

"Says the man that can't even cast magic. And besides why would I need to fight back in the first place? Just because a crazy fool wants to fight doesn't mean you have to."

"Are you calling me a fool?" Blitz growled.

"No I'm calling you a crazy fool. Are you deaf too?" Devon countered back.

During this whole spat De Tanga could help but notice one thing. Neither the swordsmen or the elf were shivering anymore.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Notes: Horrible day... horrible horrible day. Nothing went right today thus the reason why this was super delayed. I had parts of it written in my notebook and I lacked the time to type this up. I blame the bank, my mother, the taxi driver, the transit system, my mother again and my older brother. Oh and maybe my dad too, his birthday fouled up things. Sorry dad but your b-day didn't help things. Because of the extremely lateness I haven't had time to proof read this. And I'm too tired to anyway. Can't keep my eyes open. So sorry if there are laughable errors._

**Just Waiting**

Part Twelve, Day Thirty-Five – 55 days to Go 

By Relm

As De Tanga woke that morning he did so while frowning. He had hoped by now the rain would have stopped. Sadly De Tanga was wrong.

Granted it wasn't as cold as the previous day, but it certainly was wet. This didn't help De Tanga's growing sour mood.

The previous day De Tanga wasn't so sure of his motivations for going back to Zelphilia so bad. Was he really missing Luna that much that he couldn't bear to stay away? Or was it just out of concern for his traveling companions?

That morning however De Tanga knew he wanted to see Luna. He missed her.

'Gods it hasn't even been a week.' De Tanga mentally berated himself. 'I haven't even known her a whole two months yet and I'm already hooked. What is it about you Luna Inverse that is just so damned irresistible?'

Devon just stared at De Tanga quietly. The elf had seen the monster wake and had been watching him the whole time. It was actually quite strange to watch De Tanga, his face kept changing the emotions playing on it. One thing was for sure, De Tanga hadn't realized he wasn't the only one up. "Ahem." Devon cleared his throat.

De Tanga snapped his mind out of the whirlwind of thoughts and focused his gaze on the elf. "So you managed to stay awake for you watch this time."

"Yes." Devon mumbled. "Were you thinking about my cousin there just a few moments ago?"

"Yeah." De Tanga admitted sheepishly. "Are we really going to wait out this storm before we go? It's barely raining."

Devon looked up to the sky. True there were rainclouds still up there but they didn't look half as menacing as the previous days' ones. "It's up to Blitz I guess."

"What's up to me?" Blitz woke with a yawn while stretching.

"If we're going to leave or stay longer." De Tanga prompted him. "It's not as cold and hardly any rain coming down. Are we really going to wait out the storm completely before we go?" He didn't want to sound like he was complaining, but there wasn't any way it could come out of his mouth and not sound like he was whining.

Blitz suppressed a chuckle. A part of him wanted to tell De Tanga that had to stay on the count of the rain still coming down. He knew that it would bother the monster. And truthfully that streak in Luna that makes her love to irritate people comes from Blitz. Even if the allure was there Blitz himself still wanted to get home fast. Perhaps not as badly as De Tanga but almost as close. "If you are in such a hurry you could just teleport back without us." Blitz suggested with a strange smile.

"You wouldn't mind?" De Tanga mumbled actually considering the swordsman's suggestion.

Devon frowned. He wanted to get home just as bad as anyone and for Blitz to suggest that De Tanga go on without them was insulting. If De Tanga was going to go then be damned if Devon wasn't going to go with them.

"Oh no, I don't mind if you take the easy way out and just go." Again there was that strange smile that graced Blitz's lips.

De Tanga frowned. This whole time Blitz had never suggested De Tanga leave. In fact the swordsman was quite insistence the whole trip that they walk and not cheat. Now this sudden change of attitude was strange. "You want me to go...?"

"Well if you are in such a hurry then who am I to stop you?"

Perhaps it was because De Tanga had been eating that much the past few days but his mind wasn't as sharp as it would normally be. After thinking over Blitz's suggestion he realized what the swordsman was meaning to happen. "You want me to go so that both your wife and daughter will think I abandoned the two of you." De Tanga's observation was in a dry unimpressed voice.

Blitz chuckled. "Really do you think that would happen?"

De Tanga shook his head. "Are we leaving or not? If you're insisting that we stay here and wait till this meagre bit of rain to stop then I seriously doubt your bravery as a traveller. Because that would be pathetic!" He fumed not caring for once if he invoked Blitz's wraith.

Instead it just got the swordsman laughing. "Well look at you bossing me around. Whatever happened to the idiotic fool trying to get me to like them?"

"The idiotic fool is tired, hungry and wanting to get back home. I could frankly care less about your damn feelings!" De Tanga growled. He wasn't in the mood for playing games.

"Ohohohoho! Keep that up and people will swear you're acting just like me!" Blitz roared with laughter. "I want to get back home just as much as you do, so onward we go... after breakfast."

...

As the men and creatures continued on their way back to Zelphilia De Tanga couldn't help but notice the change in Blitz. Since De Tanga got snappy with the man Blitz had become more pleasant. He was talking to De Tanga more and wasn't treating the monster like well a monster. Of course throughout the trip they had made some mini-breakthroughs in their 'relationship'. Blitz was allowing De Tanga to teach him how to cook and call him by his first name. But there was still this dislike present in his voice and mannerisms when he talked to De Tanga. That irritation was gone.

'Maybe that's why Luna was insisting I stop trying to get her father to like me.' De Tanga thought as they walked through the rain. 'She knew that Blitz was only going to like me if I stood up to him and not be so accommodating. I guess Blitz respects a man that stands his ground.'

"When did Zelphilia become home to you?" Devon asked interrupting De Tanga from his thoughts.

"Pardon?" De Tanga looked at Devon questioningly.

"Earlier before breakfast you said you wanted to go home. So when did you start to consider Zelphilia as your home?" Devon repeated his question.

"I don't know..." De Tanga responded honestly. It's not that he intentionally referred to Zelphilia as home. It just slipped out accidently. "I guess after living in the city for a month I started to feel a little settled. I do like Zelphilia. Reminds me a little of where I grew up."

"And where was that?" Blitz piped up into the conversation.

"Truthfully I doubt the place still exists. It's been so long ago, I'm sure it doesn't have a name anymore or has changed names. I grew up near the ocean in Deep Sea Dolphin's territory. It was near a village of sea faring elves."

"Near? Why didn't you live in the village?" Blitz wondered.

"My foster mother may have been an elf from that village but my foster father was a monster. Even though the village had dwarves and fairies living there monsters weren't allowed. There were other races that the elves weren't particularly fond of such as humans and goblins but they really had a dislike of monsters." De Tanga explained.

"That doesn't sound like a very nice place." Devon mused. He knew that others of his kind in the past had been prone to hiding away from other races. But that was usually out of fear. Elves may be strong in magic but physically they weren't. With humans especially who were physically strong and could also cast magic they often outmatched the elves they fought. Which is why elves became the subjects of experiments and slavery. Even though those dark ages were well behind them there was lots of elves that still held to the old way.

"That was a different time," De Tanga started to explain, "I don't think I need to remind you or your race's history but due to common fear they didn't take well to certain races. Even dwarves and fairies weren't commonly liked. I'm sure if that village was still around it would be a much different sight then it was in those days. I'd like to think it would be like Zelphilia if it were still around. Even though I wasn't liked by the people in the village seeing so many different races living together always made me feel hopeful. That if elves could stand to live with dwarves and fairies that maybe one day all races could live together without persecution. I don't see too much of that in the world today, but I feel that Zelphilia is the true future of the world."

"You're quite the dreamer aren't you De Tanga?" Blitz mused. "Truly different from any monster I've seen."

"I'm as different as they come."

...

Before when the boys were travelling they walked at a steady pace. But with this last leg of that journey they were traveling considerably faster. It could have been the rain that spurred them on. Or it could have been because they were trying to make up for lost time. Most likely it was the knowledge of knowing just how close they were that made them press on.

Even when it came time to eat lunch they didn't stop. Once the food was ready they walked while eating it.

If they kept on the pace they were going they were very likely to make it back to Zelphilia by night. Which was probably a good thing as Luna had De Tanga slated to work the next day.

De Tanga had made up his mind that he would teleport everyone to Zelphilia if they didn't make it by nightfall. He wasn't planning on camping another night and arriving a day later. It didn't matter if he had to do it with Blitz kicking and screaming. De Tanga was getting back to Zelphilia tonight, and there was nothing stopping him.

As they travelled each man had one thought, one image clear in their minds. For each of them it was the same thing; a woman. But the woman varied from man to man. To Blitz he was thinking of his Faithe. Her smile, her home cooked meals even the physical abuse. He missed her so much that he wondered if he a problem. Was he addicted to his own wife? If it weren't for the store he would have taken Faithe on the restock trip. But then he couldn't have gotten that gift in secret. He had some romantic plans for her when he got home.

For Devon Whynn consumed his thoughts. He had visions of Whynn waiting ever so patiently for his return. She would shower him with affection and make him promise to never leave her ever again.

The likelihood of that happening was next to zero. But a man can dream right?

Lastly De Tang thought of course of Luna. It wasn't romantic plans or daydreams he had. No he just wanted to see her face. To sense those impish emotions of hers. He didn't dare dream of a welcoming party or even just a warm welcome. What De Tanga expected was for her to be cross with how late he was getting back. And that was what De Tanga was wanting, getting her mad because she missed him would be a delicious emotion to feed on. Even though De Tanga didn't prefer negative emotions it was sometimes nice to have those ones which was a mix of good and bad. They were bittersweet jewels like dark chocolate chips. Thinking about it made De Tanga smile.

"What are you smiling about?" Blitz wondered out loud.

"Probably the same thing he was thinking about this morning." Devon responded instead.

Blitz just shook his head. He didn't need Devon to clarify what it was. Blitz had a pretty good idea.

"Say Blitz...?" De Tanga looked to his 'girlfriend's' father with curiosity.

"Yes?"

"Had I really teleported back what would you have said to your family?"

Blitz smiled slyly. "Why the truth of course. That you abandoned us."

"You. Abandoned you." Devon clarified. "If De Tanga was going to teleport back I sure as hell would have hitched a ride too. Just because you're a prideful fool doesn't mean I am."

"So you're just abandon me?"

"In a heartbeat you big burly buffoon."

De Tanga tried not to laugh, so he had to stifle his giggles. "You know your wife and daughter would be able to tell you were lying. I don't see anyone fooling either of them. Plus I would have gotten there first and told them what happened."

"Do you really think they would believe you over me?" Blitz glared at De Tanga with a mock scowl.

"Yes." De Tanga answered while avoiding a flying branch.

...

As it neared time for dinner both Devon and Blitz were starting to tire. The thought of sitting down at a fire, eating dinner and going to bed sounded very nice. But De Tanga wasn't going to have any of this.

"We have to keep going." De Tanga insisted. "I don't want to camp out and get back in the morning."

"Well I don't want you teleporting us." Blitz huffed.

"Then you'd better keep going. Because if we are stopping then I'm definitely going to teleport us back. Whether you like or not." De Tanga's voice was very firm.

Still being as stubborn as a mule Blitz continued on with Devon dragging behind.

Since it was decided that they were going to continue on despite the nightfall rapidly descending on them they ended up eating whatever food they had left. De Tanga threw all the ingredients into a pot, got Devon to do a fire spell and cooked it up. It surely wasn't fine dining; in fact it probably should have tasted bad considering how strange the combination of ingredients was. Strangely it tasted fine enough and the men ate as they walked.

Blitz's eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. The urge to sleep was a hard one to fight. He was tired, so tired. And the cold rain didn't help matters. You always felt sleepier in the cold. Like you just wanted to stop and curl up into a ball.

Devon was also having a hard time. He hadn't slept too well the night before given how cold it was and he was fighting the urge to sleep.

De Tanga didn't feel the cold like the others. And he had burst of energy coursing through him. Because even though Zelphilia was still not in view, he could already sense the wafting mortal emotions from the city. It was so close he could taste it.

Once Zelphilia came into view Devon and Blitz also caught that burst of energy. They were almost home. Almost to the beds they so desperately wanted to sleep in. To the loving faces of their dear ones.

Only gone for a week you'd expect that no one would make such a big fuss about it. But to the boys it felt like they were gone for an eternity. So it wasn't hard for them to expect some sort of greeting.

However when they finally reached their wonderful home the only thing to greet them was the chirping of the crickets.

Letting out deep heavy sighs all three men and assorted creatures heading off to their homes not feeling the love at all.

_(Author's Notes: Yeah they are home! Finally! I have no plans of doing a day by day week for this story ever again. The only exception would be the final week. If anyone is curious I printed off a calendar template to keep track of the events and what events will happen next. I know I had said that this was a 90 day deal, meaning 3 months of 30 days and that such a thing doesn't exists in real life. ( Unless you're thinking of January-March then it could work. But that would then be 31 days, 28 days then 31 days. Still comes up to 90 just not three months with exactly 30 days a piece. But if I did go with that then that would conflict with me indirectly stating that it's summer/fall or spring/summer in the fic) Please just ignore the strangeness of the months/days.)_


	13. Chapter 13

**Just Waiting**

Part Thirteen, Day Thirty-Six – 54 Days to Go

By Relm

That night that De Tanga and the others returned home had been a less than welcoming one. With no one waiting up for them the men each went off to their respective homes. As soon as De Tanga got to his room in the inn he was in bed and sleeping.

Milo however was curious of his 'new home'. De Tanga was nomadic for the most part so Milo was used to such. Maybe the monster would take a temporary residence but that was what it was, temporary. No matter where he stayed De Tanga could just up and leave, no strings attached.

This room at the inn had a very different feel for the kitten. It didn't seem so temporary. Maybe the monster would move to a different part of the city but there was a settled feeling that hung in the air. De Tanga seemed comfortable in Zelphilia.

Milo was confused by this. What was so special about this place? The kitten just had to investigate.

The room held little points of interest. It was decorated in the same fashion as you expect an inn room to be. It lacked any personal touches. The only items of De Tanga's that resided in the room were in the closets and the dresser hidden from sight. Nothing that told the kitten what he wanted to know. Perhaps the bed was soft? Milo of course had to test this theory. He hopped onto the bed with ease testing the firmness of the bed. True the bed was a comfortable one, but was it enough to warrant an extended stay in the city?

Milo didn't get a chance to ponder this much. The bed proved to be too comfortable and the little kitten couldn't refuse the lulls of sleep.

...

That morning De Tanga rose early. He had gotten in late the previous morning, but he had to be up early. Luna had scheduled him with a morning shift. Thankfully monster really didn't require much if any sleep; so De Tanga could manage his day lacking sleep. Given however the lack of feeling he had during the last leg of the trip De Tanga could have used with some extra sleep to compensate.

Milo yawned from the bed watching De Tanga intently. Since Milo had spent a lot of the time napping in De Tanga's arms the past few days he wasn't that bothered by being woken up early. The kitten rolled around the bed playfully trying to look cute. He laid on his back with his front paws curled. Anyone who would have seen the little cat would have surely fussed over him. But his master was too busy getting ready to notice. De Tanga just continued getting ready. Milo rolled over back onto his stomach annoyed.

"Okay Milo I'm going. I'll come back on my break with some food for you." De Tanga said bye to his cat as he went to the door.

The moment De Tanga had his hand on the knob Milo was at his feet looking up at him.

"Milo you can't come with me." De Tanga knelt down and petted his kitten on the head. "You be a good boy and stay here."

Milo didn't back up. Instead he chose to climb up and sit on De Tanga's shoulder.

"Really Milo you shouldn't come with me. Luna's probably not going to like a cat around the restaurant." De Tanga went to grab Milo off his shoulder bur the cat dug in his claws refusing to go.

Milo hissed at De Tanga and got himself resettled on De Tanga's shoulder.

"Luna kicks and throws cute things like you out of windows." De Tanga warned his kitten.

Milo just yawned in response not caring one bit what De Tanga was saying.

"Fine if you must. But say I didn't warn you."

...

Like most mornings Luna worked she was the first one there at the restaurant. The rain had finally let up and it was once again warm. There was no doubt that the day would prove to be a hot one. Luna expected the restaurant to be busy. She knew the rain delayed the guys so she wasn't sure if they weren't going to be back till later in the day. Since she got up so early and left her house she wasn't aware that her father was already home. As far as Luna knew the boys were still on their way home.

As the bells above the door chimed as it opened Luna turned to face the direction of the noise. She was ready to tell whomever was at the door that they weren't opened yet. But to Luna's surprise it wasn't a customer but De Tanga standing at the door.

The monster paused once his eyes locked with hers. He still stood at the doorway and she still stood at the back end of the restaurant. He knew he had a problem when he looked into those purple eyes of hers. He had wondered before if he had developed an addiction to the eldest Inverse daughter. But staring at her at that moment he felt like a junkie standing a few feet away from the thing he was addicted to and was he itching for a fix. It had only been a week but it felt like it had been a lifetime! It took every bit of resolve De Tanga had not run to her and pull her into his arms. Hough he wanted to run to her, hug her and never let her go he knew he couldn't. If he did he surely would be killed.

Being so bold and embracing the monster slayer was not a smart thing to do. Overflowing affection wasn't something Luna handled well. Even if by some miracle Luna didn't kill him the sappiness of the action would surely kill any interest she would have in him. 'Keep it cool De Tanga. This is Luna; you have to be calm around her. Don't give into your emotions. You don't want to give her any reason to lose interest in you.' De Tanga told himself.

Little did De Tanga know, but Luna was having a similar battle in her head. She wanted to hug him, hell she wanted to kiss him but she couldn't. She was Luna Inverse after all. How could she hold her head up high after succumbing to pathetic mushy inclinations? It was only a week for crying out loud! There was no reason to get emotional. It wasn't as if he went on an extremely dangerous quest; it was just a restock trip! And furthermore she hadn't even known him for two months yet! No Luna's ego and pride scolded her yelling at her not to be so weak. So stoically she stood wanting to do anything but standing stoically.

Milo looked curiously between De Tanga and the purple haired woman. During the trip Milo had heard De Tanga chattering off and on about a woman named Luna. Milo was a cat after all and not a human so he had little understanding of this relationship between De Tanga and Luna. One thing was very clear to the kitten De Tanga had a strong connection to Luna.

Luna who had been so focused with staring at De Tanga didn't notice the kitten sitting on De Tanga's shoulder right away. But when Milo hopped off De Tanga's shoulder and stood before Luna she couldn't ignore the kitten. She didn't say anything she just stared at Milo not sure what to say.

Milo looked up at Luna, this woman that somehow gotten the hold of De Tanga's recent affections. In the back of Milo's mind he remembered Filia, and how much De Tanga was attached to the golden dragon. Looking up at the monster slayer Milo couldn't see what was so special about her. What made this purple haired woman better than Filia who was nice and kind? Nothing that Milo could see. So the kitten snubbed Luna and decided to see what was interesting in the restaurant.

"Milo!" De Tanga protested. He knew what Milo just did it. The cat didn't care for Luna and made sure that she knew it. This wasn't something that Milo was known to do. Milo was a social creature and loved attention and giving it back. He was especially affectionate towards women. For him to just snub someone like that was definitely out of character for him.

"That's your cat?" Luna finally spoke glaring at the De Tanga. Her face was usually one of anger and discontentment, but this anger seemed to be an uncomfortable one.

"Yeah. That's Milo."

"When did you get a cat? You were only gone a week."

"He's my cat from before. I had left him with a friend before I came here and I have been thinking about him lately. So I decided to pick him up."

"You're a cat person?" Luna had trouble getting those words out of her mouth. It seemed like such a bizarre thing to her.

"Why is that so strange for a monster to have a pet?" De Tanga spat out his own irritation bubbling to the surface.

"But it's a _cat_." Luna stressed the word cat.

"He's a he not an it."

"Okay so why is _he _here?"

"I just got home last night and Milo hasn't gotten used to being alone in Zelphilia." De Tanga explained huffily.

"So you couldn't leave your little kitty alone at home?" Luna's voice was both annoyed and disapproving. "Did he whine at you and you just couldn't resist his fury little face?"

De Tanga glared at her. "Why would that bother you?"

"It would make think that you're more of a sentimental fool then I thought you were." Though Luna was clearly annoyed with Milo there was still that jesting mischievousness to her voice.

"So you thought of me as a sentimental fool before?" His voice didn't match her playfulness. In fact De Tanga wasn't enjoying this verbal fight as much as he would normally. He didn't know why, but he was getting very annoyed. He didn't like Luna's reaction to Milo. But this was Luna after all, and he already knew she didn't like cute cuddly things. So to expect her to magically like Milo was extremely delusional. But perhaps deep down he had hoped that Luna would make an exception because Milo was _his_ cat. That she cared enough for him to change how she would react to certain things. Because Milo was his cat and if things were really going to work between De Tanga and her she'd need to learn to get along with Milo. That if she wanted things to work then she would try. But her tone of voice and her reaction to Milo said otherwise.

Luna may not have been a monster but she could tell that this conversation was bothering De Tanga. It was strange it wasn't really like they were having a huge fight or anything. It was just like one of their usual spats back and forth. But how De Tanga was reacting was different from normal. He rarely lost his cool and let his emotions get to the best of him. Ordinarily this might have been a moment of triumphant for the monster slayer. To finally get the upper hand on the great man of smoothness De Tanga and get his goat wasn't something many had managed to do. So Luna should have been happy at this little victory. But something about this victory seemed very hollow, she wasn't enjoying it. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I thought of you as a fool before, but not a sentimental one. But I should have known."

De Tanga wasn't sure what he wanted to say next. He mulled over the possibilities but didn't get to say anything as the door chimed signalling a new person coming into the restaurant.

"De Tanga!" Leviathan said cheerfully as he went to embrace the monster in a bear hug. "Welcome back! I hope dad wasn't too hard on you."

"Blitz and I got along fine enough." De Tanga explained cryptically.

'Blitz?' Luna's eyes were wide with that thought. 'Since when does De Tanga call my father by his first name?'

"Really? That's a relief! I was afraid that he was going to end up killing you!" Leviathan said with a laugh. "How about Devon, did you have any problems with him?"

"There was an incident in Valsteep where he was chased by a mob of angry men. He ended up using his curing potion and removing himself from his reptile and demon counterparts. He got a little annoyed with me and Blitz. We somewhat ignored him while he was being hunted down by that angry mob."

Leviathan laughed even harder. "I keep telling him that his flirtatious nature of his is going to get him killed one day." Leviathan headed off to the back of the restaurant past his big sister to his bar area and found a little visitor sitting on the counter. "A kitten? Where did this little guy come from?"

"That's Milo."

Leviathan picked up Milo and pet him on the head. Milo purred in response enjoying the attention. "Aren't you the most adorable thing in the world! Where did he come from?"

"Milo is De Tanga's cat." Luna explained.

"Oh De Tanga I didn't know you were a cat person! Me personally I like all baby animals." Leviathan happily nuzzled the kitty. "Did you get Milo in Valsteep?"

"No, I've actually had him for a while. I had left him with a friend before I came to Zelphilia and I decided to pick him up."

"But that's more than a month ago! Shouldn't he look older?" Leviathan held Milo up to look him in the face. The kitten mewled looking at Leviathan innocently. There was nothing in Milo cute little face that said just how old he was.

"He should, in fact he shouldn't even be a kitten at all. I have no idea why he looks that way." De Tanga admitted.

"Maybe he's a monster cat!" Leviathan giggled. "He's cute regardless of what kind of kitty he is. Don't you think so Luna?" Leviathan held Milo up towards Luna.

Luna in this sort of situation would have glared/growled at the cute animal being shoved in her face. But Milo got the upper hand and hissed at her first.

"Milo!" De Tanga scolded the cat. "I didn't bring you here so you can mean! You be nice to Luna! This is her restaurant and I will not have you disrespect her."

Milo mewled in response looking down with a look of shame evident in the kitten eyes.

Luna frowned. "That cat better not get into the food or piss me off. Or he's going out the door with my foot sending him out flying." She threatened De Tanga.

De Tanga was a little taken aback by that comment/threat from Luna. Yes he had been expecting Luna to threaten to hurt Milo, but not for her to let him keep Milo at the restaurant for the day. The fact that she was willing to tolerate Milo's presence gave De Tanga some hope. Maybe just maybe Luna was willing to bend her rigid tendencies for him. Maybe things could really work between him and Luna.

Milo jumped out of Leviathan's arms to go back to exploring the restaurant some more, but not before he hissed at Luna once more.

Or maybe things wouldn't work.

Damn.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Notes: Again pressed for time and didn't get a chance to proof read. Sorry for the errors. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Fourteen, Day Forty – 50 Days to Go

By Relm

The first four days with De Tanga back in town were interesting to the say the least. When Luna had indirectly suggested that it was okay for De Tanga to have Milo around at the restaurant she had no idea that he would bring the kitty every day. But day in and day out there was Milo sitting on De Tanga's shoulder as the monster came in through the front doors. And every day Milo made a point to show how he didn't care for Luna.

Luna wasn't sure how to act around the kitten. Milo was a cute cuddly cat and Luna wasn't a cute cuddly creature person. They annoyed her. But Milo was different. He didn't go out of his way to be cute with her. No he didn't like her and made sure she knew it. A part of her wanted to be just as indifferent to the cat as he was being to her. Maybe even do something bad like 'accidently' dump cold water on his head. Another part of Luna wanted to try and get Milo to like her. Milo was De Tanga's cat after all and if this 'thing' between her and De Tanga was to ever work then Luna would have to learn to get along with Milo. Since neither thing seemed like the right thing to do Luna just chose to ignore Milo.

Perhaps it was because Milo was De Tanga's cat and some of the monster's personality had influenced the kitty but he didn't like being ignored. He would look for new ways to bother Luna. Anyone watching the two would assume that Luna was one of those saintly patient types. The purple haired restaurant owner didn't even bat an eye when Milo accidently fell into that drum of flour.

Actually Luna found that funny. It took all her resolve not to laugh, especially when it made the little kitten sneeze. And there is nothing more adorable then a cute little cuddly kitten sneezing.

Still Luna was unusually patient with Milo. But that wasn't the only thing happening to keep Luna's mind occupied. Since coming back it had become very apparent that De Tanga was on much better terms with both Devon and Blitz. The fact that De Tanga was calling Luna's father by his first name and that Blitz hadn't killed him for it was proof of that. It really disturbed her to see her father getting along with De Tanga. She had been so used to seeing Blitz treating De Tanga with contempt that this sudden change was extremely foreign. It was damn near frightening.

With Luna's mother's birthday fast approaching Luna knew that her father was planning to surprise her mother. Until the guys came back from the restock trip Luna had no idea what her father was going to do for her mother. She was more than surprised when Blitz told her that he was going to cook Faithe dinner.

Blitz wasn't one known for his cooking skills. Usually when he tried to cook something he either set whatever it was he was cooking on fire or made it explode. So Luna was more than doubtful at her father's cooking plans. But as she found out this was De Tanga's doing. He was the one that put the idea into Blitz's head. He also tried to assure Luna that the recipes that he was showing Blitz how to make was fool proof.

Luna was not feeling assured. In fact she was frightened, very frightened.

Because you see the scene for this recipe for disaster was going to be at 'The Devil's Spoon', Luna's restaurant. If anything was going to go wrong it was very likely the restaurant was going to get the brunt of it. And Luna wasn't looking forward to redoing the kitchen... again. That was the first and last time Blitz Inverse did a cooking shift in the restaurant. And that was the way it was supposed to remain. Blitz was to never ever try and cook in 'The Devil's Spoon's kitchen again.

That was supposed to be the rule. In fact there was a 'no Blitz zone' sign hanging in the kitchen. Luna had initially refused to allow her father to use her restaurant for this surprise. She didn't want to have to repair her restaurant. And because it was for a romantic surprise Blitz would naturally have to reserve the whole restaurant. Ordinarily Luna wasn't opposed to renting out the restaurant for the evening. Usually when people wanted to rent out the restaurant for the night Luna would charge an insanely large fee which the suckers would pay. But since this was for her father Luna couldn't charge him for renting the place out. That meant Luna was going to miss out a lot of money. So there were two reasons to say no to Blitz. And since Blitz hadn't actually asked if he could use the restaurant he stated he was going to use it Luna was definitely more inclined to say no.

But it was her father after all and it was for a surprise for her mother. How could she say no?

Faithe had no idea what sort of surprise Blitz had for her. All she knew was that Blitz was going to take her somewhere special for dinner. She assumed it would be at the Devil's Spoon but she had no idea just who was going to cook her dinner.

"Do you know what your father has planned?" Faithe asked Luna over breakfast that birthday morning.

"No." Luna stated very sternly as she drank her coffee.

"You're lying." Faithe glared at eldest daughter.

"Of course I know what dad has planned but do you think I'm really going to tell you what it is?" Luna glared back at her.

"You could give me a hint."

"No."

"C'mon please?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "You're just as bad as a kid at Christmas."

"It's my birthday I deserve at least a tiny little hint."

Luna just shook her head and let out a sigh. Her mother could be such a pest when it came to secrets.

"Good morning and happy birthday!" Gavin greeted his mother and eldest sister as he came down the stairs. "What are you two eating?"

"Gavin honey..." Faithe flashed her youngest child the sweetest smile she could manage.

Gavin's eyes went wide. "No! No you can't do this! You can't sweet talk me into giving you information. I won't tell you anything! You can't make me!"

"Honestly honey do you really think I would be that underhanded?" Faithe's smile grew giving making her smile seem less sincere and creepier. "Now why don't you sit down and eat some waffles with us? I've warmed up the syrup just the way you like it."

Gavin looked to Luna with a panic in his eyes.

"You're not getting any help from me so stop looking at me." Luna ignored Gavin's pleading stare and went on to drinking her coffee.

"Good morning! And happy birthday Mom!" Leviathan also came down the stairs and joined his family in the kitchen. "Oooh! Waffles!"

"Don't touch the waffles!" Gavin warned him. "The waffles are tainted! They are trick, a sweet syrupy bribe. Mom is trying to trick us into giving her information about Dad's surprise."

"Gavin you are so dramatic." Leviathan exclaimed as he stuffed his face with waffles. "These are so good Mom! You spoil us so much on a day when we should be spoiling you! Sit down Mom and I'll squeeze some orange juice."

"Thank you sweetie." Faithe sat down and looked up at Gavin with that sugary sweet smile.

Gavin nervously joined his mother at the table. He decided he wasn't going to speak at all until he was far away from his mother.

...

While Faithe, Luna, Leviathan and Gavin were enjoying breakfast De Tanga was with Blitz shopping for ingredients for the surprise dinner. They probably could have just used what they already had at the restaurant but Luna was insistent that they got their own cooking supplies. Since Blitz was depriving Luna of business she was going to have him waste her food too.

"Are you sure I can do this?" Blitz questioned De Tanga for the hundredth time.

"C'mon Blitz we've been over this a thousand times. You know the recipes backwards and forward. In fact just yesterday you were full of confidence and excitement. You were sure you were going to do this perfectly. What's changed since yesterday?"

"Well it's just it's for Faithe. I want everything to be perfect and I always goof things up in the kitchen. I made a salad explode for crying out loud!"

"Now Blitz everything will be fine why I'm sure- wait a minute! How do you make a salad explode?" De Tanga blinked in confusion.

"I don't know." _(Author's Notes: You can thank Corner Gas for this little nugget.) _

"Don't worry this dinner won't explode, burn or catch on fire." De Tanga tried to reassure the mercenary/swordsman. "And I'll be there just in case something does go wrong."

Blitz glared at the monster. "No you won't be."

"Yes I will. I don't want to be there as much you want me to be but your eldest daughter has made it very clear that she and I will be there or damage control. And you know how Luna is, she won't take no for an answer. But don't worry I plan to stay hidden and out of sight the whole time. It would ruin the surprise factor if she saw me or Luna babysitting you two. And the last thing I want to do is hinder your night with your wife."

Blitz let out a sigh. "You blow up the kitchen just once and you're treated like an out of control fireball for the rest of your life."

"What were you cooking when you made the kitchen explode? Was it the salad?"

"No even I couldn't manage to screw up a salad that badly. I was making a roast. I messed up the oven controls."

"Well it's a good thing we went over all the kitchen gadgets. Don't worry Blitz you'll do fine." De Tanga patted him on the back.

...

In order to maximise the surprise Blitz blindfolded his wife before he lead her off to dinner.

For the whole day Faithe tried to get information from her kids as to what the surprise was going to be. Her main target was Gavin as he had the most trouble keeping a secret. But of course Gavin knew that so he looked for every opportunity to run away and hide from his mother. And Gavin was very good hiding. So really Faithe spent most of her day just trying to find Gavin. That kept her so busy that the time flew and before she knew it it was surprise time.

Since Blitz decided to blindfold her almost as soon as they got out of the house Faithe knew that wherever the surprise was going to be it would be in Zelphilia. In the back of her mind she knew that they were going to 'The Devil's Spoon'. It's not that she didn't want to go to the family restaurant, but it was a tad too predictable. She was going to be happy with whatever Blitz decided to surprise her with. But she still hoped for something a little more exciting.

As Blitz lead Faithe into the restaurant Faithe knew right away where she was. She still had the blindfold on but Faithe could tell from the smells and the feel of the floor under her feet that she was in the restaurant. She was a tad disappointed but was she ready to act surprised when the blindfold was removed. Faithe expected to be lead to one of the tables and have the blindfold removed. But to her surprise their little journey didn't stop at the table area. No Blitz lead her to back of the restaurant in the kitchen area before taking off the blindfold.

Faithe was definitely surprised by what she saw. There was a little table set up right in the middle of the kitchen dressed with the prettiest linens, dinnerware, candles and white rose petals. And there were candles all over the kitchen providing the only light in the room. It made the room seem romantic and intimate. "Blitz this is beautiful!"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Blitz helped her into her seat.

"Did you hire a private chef?" Faithe looked to him with curiosity.

"You could say that. Here's a little appetizer." Blitz took the diamond necklace from his jacket and put it around his wife's neck.

"Oh my god this is beautiful! You got this is Valsteep didn't you?"

"You're full of a lot of questions today. Has anyone told you you are bad with surprises?"

Faithe chuckled. "Doesn't matter where you got the necklace I love it. But who did you get to cook for us? Is it Whynn? Or someone from out of town?"

Blitz smiled slyly at his wife as he went to prepping dinner.

"No, you aren't. You can't be making us dinner!" Faithe exclaimed. She had an intense feeling of fear building at the pit of her stomach.

Blitz didn't answer her he just kept on cooking.

...

From the eating area both Luna and De Tanga waited and watched Mr and Mrs Inverse and the recipe for the disaster cooking in the kitchen.

"If he blows up the kitchen again I'm going to kill you for putting this crazy idea in his head." Luna threatened.

"He'll be fine Luna. Have some faith in your father. Why I'm sure he'll do so well that your mother will be over the moon with happiness." De Tanga assured her.

Luna frowned. She had her doubts.

...

Blitz was really hamming it up as he cooked. He knew he was doing well and was damn proud of it. And the occasional glance at Faithe just confirmed it. He'd seen looks of desire in his wife's eyes but this was more intense then he had ever seen.

As Faithe watched her husband cook she felt a hunger like she never felt before. Yes she was hungry for food but that wasn't solely fuelling her fire. There was nothing sexier than seeing a man who could cook. And boy was Blitz cooking. 'If he keeps this up I'm not going to make it to dessert.'

With the first course plated before them and the main simmering Blitz and Faithe started eating.

The appetizer on their plates though an easy one to prepare looked and tasted like it was something so complex and difficult. It was a delight to the eyes. But the appearance was completely lost to the married couple. No the two of them could only look at each other's eyes as they fed each other the small meal. It was very clear from the smiles that the food was good.

...

Luna was still frowning as she watched her parents act like newlyweds. It was very clear to her that De Tanga was right, the meal was going well.

"Looks like your father managed to make something good. The two are obviously enjoying it. And you thought this was a bad idea. Look at your mother she's so pleased that she can't keep her hands off your father." De Tanga exclaimed feeling pretty proud of both himself and Blitz.

Luna still frowned. "If those two end up having sex in the kitchen I'll kill you."

"Your dad knows we're here so he's not going to do anything like that." De Tanga laughed nervously. 'He wouldn't. Now with us here.' De Tanga told himself. But he thought that the sexual emotions coming from the kitchen got much stronger. And De Tanga lost sight of where Blitz and Faithe's hands were. "If it gets to that I'll stop it." He insisted though quite unsure of himself.

"Well then you'd better get in there because I think my dad just unhooked my mom's bra."

De Tanga looked on with panic. 'Do nothing Luna kills me, do something Blitz kills me. Damn.'


	15. Chapter 15

**Just Waiting**

Part Fifteen, Day Forty-Three – 47 Days to Go

By Relm

It had been three days since Faithe's birthday and it went well even though it could have been a disaster. Well in a way it had been a mini one. When Blitz had forgotten about his chaperons and Faithe herself got a little too carried away in the moment De Tanga had to intervene. Neither Inverse was happy with De Tanga's sudden appearance. In fact they both were so mad that they made both De Tanga and Luna leave the restaurant. Luna hadn't been happy with that.

Even though being forced out of the restaurant had been bad De Tanga had these romantic ideas in his head of taking a moonlight walk with Luna.

Once they got outside however Luna punched him in the gut and went home.

The next few days Luna spent cleaning the kitchen repeatedly. Though Blitz and Faithe both insisted they didn't have sex in the kitchen or any other part of the restaurant Luna didn't trust her parents. These were the same people that got caught in the act in a closet during Gavin's fourth birthday party. They claimed it was a onetime thing. That it was because of supposed love potion laced hors d'oeuvres. However other couples ate the same appetizers and didn't have the same effect.

Clean away Luna did so it was so sparkly that you could see your reflection on the counter surfaces. And even then it wasn't clean enough for Luna. The whole kitchen felt like it was contaminated. Luna was so consumed with her cleaning tasks that she barely paid any attention to De Tanga at all. Yes she did talk to him when she needed to at work but that was it. She wasn't happy with De Tanga and she was making sure he was aware of it.

Blitz on the other hand was extremely happy with De Tanga. Even though the monster had to intervene during the dinner Blitz was still very pleased with how things turned out. Faithe loved being surprised with her romantic loving husband cooking for her. She knew he wasn't a cook and that he took a lot of time and effort to learn to cook the things he ended up cooking. To her it was probably the best birthday surprise she had ever had. She couldn't have been happier.

One thing you had to know about Blitz when his wife was happy Blitz was very happy. Because nothing made Blitz happier than his wife.

So while Luna was making every effort to ignore De Tanga – Blitz was being chummier with De Tanga more than ever.

That annoyed Luna.

Sure having your father getting along with the guy you may end up dating was a good thing but not when you were angry at said guy. Luna's reasons for being angry De Tanga were vapid at best but it pissed her off more that she was the only one who was annoyed with him. Everyone else was on much better terms with De Tanga and he really starting to fit in Zelphilia. She liked it better when De Tanga was a little on edge. De Tanga was getting too comfortable almost as if he was sure that Luna was going to let him date her in the end. She may have been leaning toward that direction but she at least wanted him to not be so sure of it. She wanted him to try as hard as he could not knowing if he was coming or going. But this new sense of security took some of the fear away. Inadvertently Luna had lost some of her 'power' over him.

Having her father not liking De Tanga had been Luna's safety net. Luna relied on her father to inflict fear and nervousness in De Tanga. But with the two of them being chummy Blitz ripped that safety net away. This left Luna feeling very cross.

To deal with her unresolved irritation working had been a nice distraction. But just like everyone knew during roughly the second week of the month Luna Inverse wasn't going to be at 'The Devil's Spoon' restaurant. For this was the week that Luna spent most of her time locked in her room. It was her dreaded 'time of the month'. Not having work to keep her occupied was annoying but her one solace was that De Tanga would be working at the restaurant and away from her.

That was supposed to be the case as Luna made her way down the stairs to get a glass of water. She rarely left her room during that time of the month but she had been particularly parched and in need of hydration. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs she wished she hadn't left her room at all.

"Check." Blitz announced sitting in his big easy chair. The chair was angled so it faced the sofa with the coffee table between it. On the coffee table was a chess game in full swing with many casualties pushed to the side.

Luna frowned as she looked into the living room. She could see her father sitting in his chair, but not the person Blitz was playing with. The person was sitting on the sofa with their back to her. By the height and the longish hair Luna just assumed it was Leviathan. However the hair did look a bit more greenish than Leviathan's hair was normally.

"Good afternoon sweetie!" Blitz called out to his eldest daughter once he spotted her. "You want to play the winner? Because that will probably be me as I'm kicking your boyfriend's ass here."

"No Blitz you just think you're winning, I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security." De Tanga joked.

Luna glared at both her father and the person on the couch as she stormed her way into the living room. "De Tanga isn't my boyfriend!" She announced in anger. "And why are you even here?" She yelled at De Tanga.

"I don't work till tonight and your father invited me over for lunch." De Tanga mumbled feebly. He knew it was Luna's time of the month and that he shouldn't take anything she said seriously. But to have get so mad about someone implying they were dating made him feel just a tad inadequate.

"So now you're having lunch dates with my father?" Luna screamed. "Get out of my house!"

"Luna!" Blitz exclaimed. "It's my house and I invited him over. So you can't kick him out!" He bellowed rising to his feet. This was not a smart idea.

The look Luna gave her father at that moment was one you rarely saw and lived to tell. Because it was a look at you only saw when that person glaring at you was about to murder you.

De Tanga didn't need to see the look on Luna's face to know what was probably going to transpire. The rage emanating from Luna was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. This wasn't good, not at all. "You know what Blitz I should get going. Milo was napping when I left to come here and he might get freaked out if he wakes and finds me not there." De Tanga said getting up from the sofa and starting to head towards the door.

"Milo will be fine and you know it. You're just using him as an excuse because Luna is being rude." Blitz tried to urge De Tanga to stay.

"Whether she's being rude or not, it's not right for me to be here causing trouble between the two of you. The last thing I want to do is have you both fight because of me. So I'll just go. Have a nice day." And out the door De Tanga went.

Once the door was closed Blitz stood there in the living room with his eldest daughter. As he stood his arms were crossed as was his expression. "I know you're not 'feeling well' but the hell is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Luna screamed back. "You wanted to kill him when you first met him and now you're having play dates with him?" Luna hit her father on the shoulder with a nearby tray.

"He's a nice guy, and the only reason why I tried to get to know him was because of you. You're the one that roped him into that stupid deal of yours. If you really don't like him then why the hell do all this is the first place? Were you really in that desperate need of another waiter?"

"I didn't say I didn't like him!" Luna yelled back sitting herself down on the couch. She was frowning from a headache and confusion.

"Why are you mad at him?" Blitz's voice softened as he joined his daughter on the couch. "Why is it a problem that him and I are getting along? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes..." Luna admitted. A big part of her wanted to pour out all her feelings and frustrations to her father. But that wasn't something that Luna Inverse did. Oh no Luna Inverse was an ice queen with a tight lip. She never talked about her problems.

"But you didn't want it to happen so soon." Blitz realized. "You two have this cat and mouse game going on and a big part of that is that you can send him packing at any moment. You enjoy the fear you put into him. But having me and everyone else accepting him is making him feel confident about staying. That there's little chance of you refusing him in the end. And that's what's bothering you."

Luna didn't confirm this, nor did she deny it. She just stayed quiet staring at the unfinished chess game.

"Mind games can be fun. I should know; your mom and I played games before we dated. We used to dance around each other driving ourselves and everyone around us nuts. Of course back then we were just fighting our own feelings. Neither of us could admit how we really felt so playing games was easier. Playing games may be fun but don't forget, he got hurt during his last time. He may be a strong player but his defences are lacking." Blitz motioned at the chess board in front of them as it to make a comparison to De Tanga's life.

Again Luna chose not to comment. She did however see that if the game had finished playing out that De Tanga was going to lose. Blitz would have had in checkmate in less than two moves.

"Luna I know you may be a bit cold around the edges but you don't really want to take things too far and crush the heart of a good man just because you're stubborn, do you?"

"You're a sentimental fool." Luna whapped him again with the tray this time over the head. And with that Luna went to the kitchen to get her water so she could go back to bed.

...

Since the whole city knew exactly when Luna's 'time of the month' was they knew she wouldn't be at the restaurant. And since most of the restaurant goers were there for a show or the danger of it – the restaurant was rather quiet. This was a good thing for De Tanga as he wasn't really that focused on his job.

He knew Luna was mad at him, she had been for the past few days. Having her parents potentially 'compromising' the restaurant was quite distressing to the monster slayer. Luna loved her restaurant and didn't want anything to happen to it. But even so she should have gotten over this recent bought off anger. The restaurant was fine and business was good. But Luna still remained angry.

Though a part of him wanted to believe that her continued anger was just a result of her time of the month De Tanga knew that wasn't the case. Something else must be bothering the monster slayer but for the life of him he didn't know what he had done. In his mind De Tanga hadn't done anything to warrant such behaviour from her. What had he done to bother her so much? Had he insulted her and not realized it? Was it Milo? Did Luna really hate the cat so much?

There was another reason floating in De Tanga's mind as he cleaned off the tables. Maybe he had done nothing wrong. Maybe Luna just didn't like him anymore.

The deal was after 90 days if Luna still found him interesting she would allow him to date her. Perhaps Luna was tired of De Tanga already.

De Tanga hadn't wanted that thought to be true but once it entered his head he couldn't get rid of it. It seemed like the perfect explanation. She didn't like him anymore. And this anger was just her way of distancing him from her.

A long sad sigh escaped De Tanga's lips as he finished cleaning a table. It was obvious to anyone in ear shot of that sigh that the monster wasn't happy. Thankfully the restaurant was empty at the moment and Leviathan and Gavin were both playing cards in the back. Since there were no customers De Tanga had told the two they could go take a break and he'd call if anyone came. Milo had decided to follow the Inverse boys as De Tanga cleaning tables wasn't the most stimulating thing to watch.

With no one in the room to hear De Tanga was free to let out as many sad sighs as he wanted. There wasn't a soul in sight to interrogate him about his problems and tell him what to do with his life. Not that that wouldn't have been unwelcome at that moment. Truthfully he wanted to talk to someone about his problems though he had no intensions of seeking out counsel. Perhaps it was pride but De Tanga didn't want to have to go seek out someone else's help to make him feel better. Especially when he felt his fears were irrational.

...

All day Luna had sat in her room thinking about what her father had said to her. Blitz was never one to have good insight into relationship problems but for whatever reason this time he hit the nail right on the head. Luna was very stubborn and didn't want to admit it, but her father was right.

True she liked to be the one in control but if she ended up crushing De Tanga there was a strong chance he would just leave. In the end it might not matter that Luna would lose control of her power, she would have pushed him too far away for any chance of a future.

Spying a look outside the sky was dark and the stars twinkling. Luna knew it was late but not late enough for 'The Devil's Spoon' to be closed. Leviathan and Gavin hadn't come home yet.

'It's probably dead right now.' Luna thought biting her lip. She turned to her side away from the window and stared at her wall. The moonlight spilling from the window made itself present as to remind Luna what time it was.

The room was so quiet, not a single sound save for Luna's breathing. But it may as well have been busting with all kinds of noise, because Luna couldn't sleep a wink.

'Oh screw it.' Luna thought miserably getting out of bed.

...

De Tanga had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he barely heard the chimes at the door as someone came into the restaurant. "Welcome to-" De Tanga started to say as he turned to face the newcomer but stop mid sentence when he saw who it was.

Luna stood before De Tanga clad in her sleeping clothes, slippers and a big oversized coat thrown over her. Her hair was a mess and she looked very tired and cross.

"Luna? Are you okay?" De Tanga asked timidly. He was afraid to talk to her as things hadn't gone well earlier in the day.

"I can't sleep. I need a drink." She announced curtly while going over to the bar and snatching a random bottle of wine.

De Tanga inwardly sighed. 'Of course she came to get wine, did you really think she came to see you you big dummy?' He berated himself. He was ready to go into another mental lecture about how pathetic he was when he noticed that Luna had also plucked two wine glasses from the bar. He didn't say anything but he looked at her puzzled.

"You think I'm going to drink alone while you're standing there?" She raised an eyebrow at him as she sat herself down at one of the tables.

"I'm working; you really don't want me to be drinking on the job do you?" Timidly De Tanga joined her at the table.

"It's almost time to close and do you see any customers here?" Luna motioned to the otherwise empty room. "Now pour me a glass!" She ordered handing him the bottle while holding out her glass.

"You know people might wonder what would possess Luna Inverse to leave her home during that time of month." De Tanga mused somewhat suggestively. "Especially when that trips ends up with you drinking with a tall dark and handsome man." He smiled at her imploringly hoping that Luna would still play along with their little game.

Luna returned his smile. "Okay so where is this handsome man?"

De Tanga let out a chuckle. "But seriously Luna about earlier-"

"Shut up and drink. I came here to get drunk not to talk." She snapped at him chugging her glass and holding it back up for De Tanga to refill it.

"Aren't you worried I'll try and take advantage of you in your drunkenness?" He dared her.

"No, because then I'd kill you." She dared back.

"But what a lovely way to die."

Luna let out a dark chuckle.

...

"Gee I didn't realize how late it was." Gavin mused as he, Leviathan, Milo and Al came out from the back of the restaurant. It was well past time closing time.

"I wonder why De Tanga didn't tell us it was time to go." Leviathan wondered out loud.

"I'll bet that's why." Gavin pointed to the ground.

Half under one of the tables laying on a heap on the floor was Luna and De Tanga. The two slept amongst the many empty wine bottles that also littered the table and floor. As they slept Luna was curled up against De Tanga whom held her just as close.

"Luna is going to kill him in the morning." Gavin observed.

"At least they are both wearing clothes." Leviathan added. "Should we wake them? Or move them at least?"

Gavin shook his head. "Nah we'll just deal with them in the morning."

Shrugging the men and kitten left Luna and De Tanga slumbering on 'The Devil's Spoon's floor.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Notes: I'm at a friend's house so I didn't really have time to proof read this too well. Sorry for any errors._

**Just Waiting**

Part Sixteen, Day Fifty – 40 Days to Go

By Relm

The day was young for the beast on the prowl. So young in fact that the sun hadn't even made its' appearance. But to the animal this was the prime time for the hunt. The cold air nipped at his nose as he stalked the streets being ever so quiet. Few souls were up to even spot the beast, and not that they could, he was ever so agile.

Down one street and around another he found his target, his hunting ground. The building wasn't tall but the doors looked formidable. How would one get through such solid looking barriers? Perhaps a lesser beast might have been discouraged by such obstacles but not this animal. For this wasn't a giant jungle cat (though he was one at heart) so size wasn't a hindrance. And the door not so square in its frame.

Squeeze through the beast did and entered the hunting grounds. The house was still and quiet but that did little to calm the hairs of his back to stand anything but up. He was very aware of the dangers of being spotted. Being spotted would mean failure and this beast was on a mission. With ever so many pauses he made his way his final destination. Just one more door preventing him from his goal. Luckily for the beast it wasn't closed.

There she lay asleep on the bed. It was far too high up for the creature to see but he knew, she was there. With a graceful leap he was there staring down his prey. She slumbered not knowing of the animal's presence. It took all of his self control not to purr. Little step by little step he crept till he was staring her down face to face. Her purple hair was a mess on the pillow framing her usually cold looking face. Her bangs which normally shielded her equally cold eyes were pushed aside leaving her eyes unguarded.

Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom or just the warm air being breathed on her face but Luna woke. And when she opened her eyes she was greeted to a very strange thing very out of place in her room.

A cat staring at her with his paw a little too close to her face.

Right away Luna grabbed the paw with one hand while grabbed the cat with the other pulling the kitty close to her. Upon further inspection Luna realized this wasn't a cat, but a kitten... De Tanga's kitten.

"Milo." Luna glared at the cat.

"Meow." Milo mewled at her looking as cute as a kitten can be.

"You've got a lot of nerve sneaking your way into my room." Luna brought the kitten very close to her face. "Thinking you can attack me in my sleep."

Maybe it was fear that caused Milo to take the action he chose or maybe he was feeling a little more affectionate but at that moment he purred.

Luna looked at the little kitten as though he was just turned into a troll. For weeks this exact cat had been very keen on showing her how not keen was on her. And there he was purring. When faced with a purring cat in her face Luna usually tended to do one thing. Throw/fling said cat as far away as possible. But this wasn't any ordinary cat, this was Milo. Milo may be a little sweetheart but he didn't like Luna. 'Probably just doing this because he got caught.' Luna thought looking at the display of affection with scepticism. She wanted to stay strong and not be tempted by the kitten's cute eyes and furry face. But the kitten was a formidable opponent able to crack any nut. Luna didn't have a chance. "Damn you why do you have to be so cute?" Luna growled as she pet the kitten behind the ears.

Milo purred louder as he nuzzled closer to Luna resting his head just under Luna's neck.

"No one hears about this. You understand that cat?" Luna stated very firmly which was a strange contrast to all the affection she was giving to the kitten.

Milo just yawned in response while purring away. Happily he laid drifting off sleep while Luna pet him.

"You wake me up and now you're going to sleep?" Luna shook her head while fighting off a yawn of her own. "Well I slept with your master might as well take a nap with you too." And with that Luna joined Milo in dreamland.

Last week Luna and De Tanga had might be considered their first fight as a couple. Except De Tanga had no idea why Luna was mad at him nor where the two considered a couple. The 'fight' had ended with no real resolution. There was no discussion about what was wrong nor was there any decisions of how to deal with the 'issues' that caused the fight. No, when it came down to it Luna handled the situation the only way a true blue Zelphilian would handle a problem, with drinking – lots of drinking.

Are monsters able to get drunk? That was an interesting question. Probably if needed a monster could prevent himself or herself from being affected by alcohol. If that were the case De Tanga wasn't trying. He got quite drunk that night as did Luna.

Luna was a seasoned drinker; it usually took a lot to get her really plastered. And she knew what her limits where. It was extremely rare that anyone ever saw her get so drunk that she'd fall asleep on the floor. But as her 'sagely' father pointed out she needed to be a little less rigid. So she let loose a bit. So much so that she woke up the next day asleep in De Tanga's arms. Strangely De Tanga was wearing all of his clothes but Luna had lost some of hers along the way. If De Tanga hadn't woken up all confused as to her state of dress she might have killed him at that moment.

Of course there had been a second reason why she didn't kill him. Waking up in his arms had been... nice. It's not that Luna hadn't ever slept with a man before, but she never stuck around to get to the actual sleeping part. She always thought of herself as a strong self reliant person that didn't need others to feel secure about herself. Her bed was her bed and she didn't care to share it with anyone. But waking up in De Tanga's arms even with the massive hangover had been so comforting and warm. She found herself smiling as she stared up at De Tanga's sleeping face. Her face had been so dangerously close to his that for a moment there Luna even thought about what it would be like to kiss the monster. And might have even done it if it hadn't been for Devon knocking on 'The Devil's Spoon' front window yelling 'What the hell are you two doing?'. Naturally this woke De Tanga and Luna did what she had to do especially when she noticed that certain articles of her clothing where halfway across the room. She punched De Tanga so hard in the stomach that the monster saw stars before storming out of the restaurant. But not of course before she decked Devon also in the gut.

Since it had been so early in the morning and so few people knew about what happened the whole even could have remained a secret and not become the talk of the town. But that didn't happen naturally as two of the four parties that knew about the event were complete blabbermouths. Luna would have killed one of them but she wasn't sure who decided to spread rumours; her younger brother or her cousin.

...

Later that morning when Luna woke she found Milo still curled up in bed with her. Even though the kitten was still sleeping Luna picked him up with her as she got up to get ready for the day. Milo didn't seem to mind though, as long as Luna kept him close he was happy.

Originally Milo didn't like Luna. To him she was just a crappy replacement for Filia to whom Milo was quite fond of. As he watched Luna and De Tanga play their little games Milo played his own with the monster slayer. He was spiteful and mean to Luna. He snubbed her at every chance he could. But as he tried to get her to hate him the more he wanted her to like him. He wanted her to try and get him to like her. As a cat he liked to be liked by people, cats do like attention. But there was something special about getting attention from the monster Slayer. Milo like his master had gotten addicted to the purple haired woman.

Milo couldn't deny that he didn't want to like Luna. He wasn't even sure how he ended up in this situation. But after seeing how happy his master was after last week Milo couldn't help but be interested in Luna. He still didn't know why the monster slayer affected his master so much but he had been keen on finding out. But with Luna away from work the whole week that didn't leave Milo much options.

Which is how Milo came his little journey of his. If Luna wouldn't come to him he would come to her. He had expected some act of violence from her thus the paw up and ready but Luna surprised him.

It was hard to say who won that game between them but it was easy to see who was happiest with the outcome.

"Purrrrrr..." Milo purred contently into Luna's shoulder.

"You are far too affectionate cat." Luna sneered but made no effort to rid herself of the kitten. "De Tanga tells me you like seafood. So does Leviathan. I bet we've got a nice big fish in the ice chest that you would just love. Yes you would, you little thing." Luna said with a smile. "My gods! I'm baby talking a cat! I should get rid of you - you evil thing."

Milo just looked up at her innocently and mewled.

Luna cringed; Milo was just too cute for words. So Luna did the only thing she could bring herself to do and that was carrying Milo around as she putted way getting ready.

"Isn't that Milo?" Gavin questioned Luna when she came down the stairs for breakfast.

"That is Milo!" Leviathan exclaimed and went to give the kitten a pat on the head. Or he would have had Luna not turned away preventing her 'little brother' from doing so.

"Don't interfere with my breakfast!" Luna snapped as she got herself some coffee and a bowl of seafood okayu. She also got a small bowl for Milo. "Did mom make this?"

"Yeah right before she left to go the restaurant. So why do you have Milo?" Gavin pestered her.

Luna didn't answer she just drank her coffee and glared at Gavin.

"Did you catnap him?" Gavin grilled her once more.

Still no response from Luna, she just sat herself and Milo down at the table. She drank some more coffee while Milo inspected the bowl placed before him.

The appearance of the bowl of porridge didn't tell him that there was seafood in the bowl but his nose said otherwise. Timidly he tried some of the okayu and was delighted to find that his nose was correct! There was seafood in the bowl. Greedily he went to eat the okayu as though he had never eaten before.

"Gods you'd think De Tanga never feeds him." Luna muttered while trying some of her own okayu. She had to admit it was good. But then again Faithe Inverse always made good food.

"So why is Milo here?" Leviathan asked Luna as he got Milo some more okayu.

"I have no clue." Luna responded inbetween mouthfuls.

"You catnapped him! You took De Tanga's cat! Are you mad at him again? What did he do this time?" Gavin pestered her again for more information.

"Milo came here on his own." Luna responded very firmly in a hopes to get her youngest brother to shut up.

It didn't work. "Why would Milo come here for? He doesn't even like you! What did you do to him? Why does he like you now? And why are you being so affectionate towards him? You hate cats, dogs or any cute little furry things!" Gavin exclaimed.

"I don't know why he came or why he suddenly likes me. And I don't care." Luna growled. "And who says I hate all cute little furry things?"

"The cute little puppies and kittens you've kicked or thrown out windows." Gavin plainly added.

Luna glared at Gavin. She started to reach for the sword on her back when Leviathan stopped her.

"Luna I don't think Mom and Dad would be happy with you trying to kill Gavin in the house. You might ruin the kitchen. And I don't think I need to remind you of how protective she is over her kitchen." Leviathan reminded her.

"Hey what about me?" Gavin cried out. "Don't you think Mom would be a little more upset with Luna if she killed me?"

"Not if the kitchen got harmed along the way."

Now it was Gavin's turn to glare. But his target was his serpent dragon brother Leviathan.

Luna refrained from drawing her sword but she was playing out that scenario in her head. Faithe would probably be more upset about the destroyed kitchen.

Milo who was finished his okayu naturally still hungry and looked for any unattended bowls. Since Luna was distracted by her conversation and he was closest to her anyway he went for her bowl.

Luna slammed her spoon down between Milo and the bowl. "I may be tolerating you now cat, but don't you ever try and steal my food away from me. I will kill you." Luna threatened Milo getting very close to his face.

Milo deciding to be cute leaned forward pushing his cold nose against hers. He purred in her face completely ignoring her threatening tone and rising anger.

Luna frowned. Milo clearly didn't scare easy. Luna shook her head and went back to eating.

Though Milo wasn't scared by Luna he respected her breakfast and didn't try and steal any more of it. Instead he just looked at her imploringly with his cutest innocent looking face. His head was tilted and he mewled each time Luna put a spoonful into her mouth.

It was hard to enjoy your breakfast with a cute little hungry creature looking at you with pleading eyes. Luna growled in annoyance. She was actually feeling guilty about eating in front of Milo!

"Awww… He's so cute!" Leviathan gushed as he got Milo some more okayu.

"Leviathan he's not a person! You can't give him that much food! He'll get sick or really fat." Luna grumbled.

"But he's hungry!" Leviathan whined. "And he'd look cute all pudgy and fat." Leviathan went to pet Milo on the head.

Since Milo was in eating mode he angrily clawed at Leviathan for disturbing his meal.

Leviathan might have taken offence by this action but then again interrupting an Inverse while they were eating was a dangerous thing to do so he was used to it. "So when are you going to bring Milo back to De Tanga?"

Luna raised an eyebrow. Not that you could tell since her bangs covered her eyes anyway but she did have a questioning look to her face. "Why would I do that?"

Leviathan blinked in confusion. "Because Milo isn't your cat, he's De Tanga's! Why he must be so worried that Milo has disappeared! Milo hasn't been in town long and he's been with De Tanga the each time they left the inn. De Tanga must think Milo got out accidently and now is roaming the streets of Zelphilia lost."

"Well it's his own fault for letting Milo get out in the first place." Luna declared finishing off her okayu.

"But Luna! De Tanga is probably going crazy looking for Milo! He's going to be so upset! Do you really want to put him through that?" Leviathan cried out in outrage.

Luna smiled evilly in response. "What do you think?"

…

Since Luna had the late shift at 'The Devil's Spoon' she spent the whole morning and afternoon relaxing at home. This would be her first day back at work since the previous week and she was determined to enjoy the time she had before work. And the whole time she relaxed she had Milo with her. They sat in the living room on the couch while Luna pet him.

Milo was enjoying the attention very much. Luna couldn't stop petting him and she did it in such a way that she really hit the spots. Like that spot behind his left ear. He didn't even need to move around and nudge her hand in the right direction. It was as if Luna unconsciously knew where Milo liked to be petted the most. It was nothing but a constant stream of purring coming out the kitten's throat.

Luna wasn't a cat person normally, but she was starting to see why people loved cats so much. There was something so relaxing about petting a cat and getting a purr out of them. This didn't change Luna's views on cats and dogs, she still didn't like them; but she was willing to make an exception for Milo. 'Milo is a greedy devious cat. And manipulative too.' Luna mentally mused comparing Milo to other kittens she encountered. 'And he's attention starved too. He's a lot like De Tanga.'

Milo looked up at Luna with curiosity. While getting lost in her thoughts Luna had ceased petting and he wondered why.

Luna let out a dark chuckle. "I'm not going to pet you all day. However I am curious if you are like other cats. You clearly aren't like any kitten I've seen before." Luna mused before reaching into her grandmother Gertrude's knitting bag.

Milo was curious as to what contents this magical bag had that would cause Luna to divert her attention away from her. When he saw the big ball of yellow yarn in the monster slayer's tanned hands his eyes lit up.

Cats typically loved balls of yarn. This was a stereotypical thing that everyone is brought up knowing about cats beside that they love fish. Luna was curious to see if the kitten would be interested in the yarn.

Once the yarn was on the floor Milo pounced on it. It rolled around unravelling a bit as it did so and it just spurred Milo to go after it with more gusto.

Luna chuckled as she watched Milo. It was hard to tell if Milo just really loved the yarn or hated it and had a strong desire to destroy it. Milo got all tangled up in the bright yellow yarn but that didn't seem to hinder the kitten. He went after reach stray strand as though it was a live wiggling worm.

With all of Milo's scampering around he knocked over Gertrude's knitting bag. Seeing all other balls of brightly coloured yarn put Milo into a frenzy. He rushed into the bag causing to flail around as he played.

Luna roared with such laughter that she didn't hear the knocking on the door.

In stormed De Tanga looking positively frantic. "Luna! Do you know where Milo is? He must have gotten out and I can't find him anywhere!" De Tanga's voice sounded about as panicked as the look in his eyes.

"You lost your cat?" Luna stated rather disapprovingly. "He hasn't been in Zelphilia long enough to know his way around and you let him get out? What kind of an owner are you!"

De Tanga slumped down defeatedly on the couch next to Luna. "I know!" He sobbed. "I don't know how he got out! I could have sworn I closed the door last night! And the window wasn't open."

"Did you lock the door?"

"No." De Tanga mumbled miserably.

"Well serves you right. You don't deserve to have a cat if you can't even keep him safe." Luna poked the wound some more. She wasn't a monster but she was definitely enjoying torturing him.

"Luna I've looked everywhere! And I can't find him! I know he's not exactly the nicest to you but could you help me look for him?" He looked at her with pleading eyes.

Luna almost couldn't contain her laughter. "No."

"Luna please? I don't know what I'd do if something bad were to happen to him!" He blubbered.

"No, I won't help you. If you don't even know where your cat is then you don't deserve to have him."

De Tanga was going to start begging when he noticed the moving bag of yarn. "Luna what's that?"

Luna immediately kicked the bag upright and slid it out of De Tanga's view. "Nothing."

"Milo is in there isn't he?" De Tanga dived for the bag and pulled out the kitten completely entangled in several colours of yarn.

The sight was so adorable that Luna had to laugh.

"I've been going crazy all day and you had Milo the whole time?" De Tanga bellowed. "I can't believe you would take my cat!"

"I never took your cat." Luna said with so much venom that it conveyed that fact very well to the monster. "He came here on his own."

"Why the hell would he do something like that?" De Tanga snapped while getting Milo out of the yarn mess he was in.

"Because you're too stupid to lock your door. And clearly he likes me better than you."

"He's my cat!" De Tanga protested.

"Not anymore. I've decided to keep him." Luna stated while snatching Milo from De Tanga and petting the kitten on the head.

Milo happily purred while chewing on some of the remaining yarn still wrapped around him.

De Tanga looked at this sight with disbelief. Milo didn't like Luna. That's just the way it was. But the Milo he saw right there was extremely happy to be in Luna's arms. "What did you do to my cat?"

Luna smiled evilly at De Tanga. "Nothing. Now go make us some lunch we're hungry." Luna commanded pointing at the kitchen.

De Tanga was angry and confused. But one thing was for sure he had no intentions of making lunch for Luna or anybody at that moment. And it surprised the hell out of him when he found himself in the kitchen doing prep work. 'How does she do that?' He looked over at Luna and Milo.

Both the kitten and monster slayer bared a similar Cheshire grin.


	17. Chapter 17

**Just Waiting**

Part Seventeen, Day Fifty-Seven – 33 Days to Go

By Relm

The whole week it had been the same thing. De Tanga would wake and find that Milo was missing. And each morning he would go over to the Inverse household and find him there. Luna kept insisting that Milo was no longer his cat, that Milo actually was her cat now. And that even Milo believed that since he kept showing up each morning.

De Tanga on the other hand was just sure it was Faithe's cooking that got the kitten to venture off. And that was one thing about Faithe's cooking, you would travel for miles just for a taste of what she could make. Milo was clearly hooked and that was the only reason why he kept showing up. However this claim that Milo liked Luna better amused De Tanga. He quite enjoyed the fact that his little kitten had accepted his potential love interest. So he wasn't bothered by having to pick up Milo each morning. It was more chances to see Luna.

Up until a couple days prior this had all been fine. Until…. _It _came.

Occasionally a traveler would come from some far off place and he or she would bring things with them to trade. For the most part this was a good thing, trading was good for the economy of any town or city. But sometimes those travelers would bring other things with them instead of just their wares. Like for instances a person who was just starting or just getting over a common illness of their area. If this illness was spread to an area normally not exposed to it it can have increased reaction. So was the case with the traveler named Misty Gnallingson.

Misty Gnallingson was from several cities away. She was an older woman who had a strong penchant for Zelphillian wine. Four times a year Misty would travel all the way to Zelphilia to trade some wine for her cities' best olive oil. Misty would trade several cases of oil for cases of wine. This was an arrangement that worked well for the wine makers of Zelphilia. It was because of people like Misty Gnallingson that went to some much trouble to buy the wine that Zelphilia was so famous for it. People were always happy to see Misty.

But that day Misty breezed into town people should have seen there was something amiss. Sure she did her normal trades and was off on her merry way but there was something very wrong with Misty. Misty appeared to be extremely fatigued and deathly pale. It also appeared that the woman had lost some weight since she had been in Zelphilia last. Seeing her looking so unwell the wine makers suggested she go into 'The Devil's Spoon' for a nice bowl of soup before she went off.

Misty did as they suggested and was quite pleased with the soup. It was first thing she had been able to stomach in days. Happy and content the little woman took off with her carriage and horses and went back home.

It was a day or two after Misty left that it happened. It started off with Gavin. He started feeling extremely tired. He developed a fever and lost all appetite. Any food he did try and eat came right back up. He couldn't even bare to look at or smell food. It would just make him throw up.

Hours later Faithe got sick. Then Leviathan and Blitz. The next day Gertrude and Luna joined their family members in being sick.

Whatever sickness it was it was contagious. Most people in Zelphilia figured that it was Misty; the woman didn't look well when she came into the city. But the illness travelled so quickly around the Inverse household that many feared they would get sick. The Inverse household was avoided by many. No one wanted to be around any of them for fear of getting sick.

Milo being a cat wasn't aware or didn't care that they were sick. In fact it was harder to get the kitten away from the Inverse household with everyone being sick. Milo's comforting nature made him want to stay and do what he could to help.

De Tanga felt the same way. Being a monster he didn't worry about catching a mortal illness. Though rough on the infected it didn't seem like it a particularly deadly virus so even if De Tanga could catch it be wasn't that concerned. But he was afraid of Milo catching it. He didn't know if this was a virus that animals could catch and he didn't want to chance it. And even if Milo couldn't catch the virus he was coming in direct contact with infected people. He himself could become a carrier and spread it to others by accident.

So De Tanga found himself retrieving Milo each morning. It was hard to go into the household and see how miserable everyone was. Hell it was hard just to stand outside of the Inverse household feeling all the negative emotions wafting about. De Tanga wanted nothing more than to stay with the Inverses and help nurse them all back to health. But he couldn't.

'The Devil's Spoon' restaurant typically needed to have two bartenders, two cooks and three-six waiters to be open for the day. And that was at its' bare minimum. With three of its' regular full time workers and 3 of its' part time workers sick that really cut the staff down. Even with De Tanga, Devon, Whynn and Al working each day they still didn't have enough people to run the restaurant. And that wasn't even taking in account the Inverse family general store and the other small side businesses run by Inverse family members. Adjustments had to be made.

First off the store and all the other side businesses were closed until further notice. And the restaurant was only going to be open lunch and dinner. And the restaurant would be closed much earlier than it's normal 12am closing time. In addition the bar was only open for dinner on.

For such a popular restaurant in Zelphilia it wouldn't have been surprising to see people being outraged by these shortened hours. No one however complained, in fact the restaurant was dead even. Since so many people were getting sick in town few wanted to chance eating at the same restaurant Misty Gnallingson had eaten at. Few people wanted to even leave their homes at all.

Though De Tanga was saddened to see this wide spread paranoia and isolation he was actually grateful for it. With things so quiet it made things easier in terms of work load with running the restaurant. He did his best to keep things moving smoothly but that was hard even still as his mind wasn't there.

De Tanga couldn't help but think about Luna and her family as he worked. They were all so miserable but there wasn't a thing he could do to help. Sure he went over at any possible time he could to bring soup and check on them. But he knew no spell or potion to help their sickness.

The healers had tried to deal with the illness. But that was the faultiness of white magic. Though it could heal wounds, sickness wasn't something that could be easily healed by it. In fact casting a healing spell on a sick person could be a very dangerous thing to do. Since white magic uses the caster and recipient's energy to heal it can make illness run rampant.

Medicines and potions could have some effect but that was provided you knew what the illness was. Near as they could tell this illness seemed to be a stomach virus of some sort. There were several all with different means to deal with them. Some cases just a simple tea could solve the problem. While with others you couldn't do anything but ride out the storm.

De Tanga let out a heavy sigh as he wiped down a table.

"I know it's tough I don't like it either." Devon admitted as he too was wiping down surfaces. With so few people there to eat there wasn't much to do besides clean.

"I just wish there was something I could do to help them." De Tanga responded miserably.

"Yeah it's rough seeing them like that."

De Tanga shook his head. "No you don't know the half of it. You think it's bad just seeing them like that? Try being in my shoes. I can feel their emotions. I feel their misery. It makes you feel so helpless knowing their pain but not being able to do anything about it."

"According to Whynn the best thing for them right now is rest and liquids. If they can't eat anything they should at least stay hydrated. And according to Whynn ginger based drinks are best. Though I doubt ginger beer would fall in that category."

"If only we knew the name of this illness! It's got to be some foreign virus. It didn't show up till that Misty woman showed up. Where is she from anyway? Valsteep?" De Tanga wondered.

"No." Devon shook his head. "She's from further away than that. I do know she hits a couple places doing her trades before she gets to Zelphilia. She uses some of the wine she gets here to trade for other things on the way back home."

"Meaning this illness might not even have originated from her home but from one of the places she visited on the way." De Tanga realized. "Maybe I can backtrack her trip and find out where she came from. If I can figure out which path she took I could be able to find out where this illness originates from and how long is its incubation period."

"At the very least you can find out its name."

"When should I go?"

"Go now." Devon suggested. "It's deader than all hell here and if you go too late then you wont find anyone awake to ask."

"Are you sure you can manage?"

"Yeah I can." Devon insisted.

"Where should I go first?"

"Valsteep. I know she does trading there before she gets here."

"Okay wish me luck." De Tanga said nervously.

Devon would have wished the monster good luck but he had already phased out.

…

In Valsteep De Tanga hit all the merchant shops to see if he could find out what things Misty trades for. But as he soon found out all the shops were closed. A strange illness had swept into town making all but a few businesses close.

The bar was one of the few places open and right away De Tanga went in to get some answers.

Valsteep Tavern was normally a bustling place filled with all sorts of people. But with this mysterious illness floating around it look as full as 'The Devil's Spoon'. The bartender looked especially glum as few people were drinking.

"Sir can I ask you a couple questions?" De Tanga sat himself down at the bar.

The bartender eyed him with curiosity. "As long as you're drinking. What will it be?"

"Whatever your special is."

"So what did you want to know?" The bartender asked once he placed De Tanaga's ale in front of him.

"I came from Zelphilia and there's a strange sickness going around. And it looks like it's going around here too."

"Yeah. No one knows what it is. No one's died from it though. They figure it's old Misty. That gal wasn't well when she came through these parts."

"I know that's what we figure too. I'm trying to trace her route backwards to find she caught the illness from. Do you know where she trades at before she gets to Valsteep?"

…

Two cities and five towns later De Tanga came across a city by the name of Halderling. This wasn't the place where Misty was from, but she wasn't sick when she came through there.

"Yeah I know what that sickness is." A local told De Tanga after the monster explained the symptoms. "It doesn't kill ya but if you're not careful you can die of hydration. We've got a hospital a couple streets over. Go see the head doc there, he's a miracle worker."

"Thank you." De Tanga thanked the man. Rather then walk to the hospital De Tanga opted for speed and teleported to it which definitely surprised the people in the hospital.

"Sir can I help you?" A bewildered nurse asked De Tanga.

"I'm looking for the head doctor of this hospital." De Tanga posed the question to everyone in the room.

"I'm the head doctor. I'm Doctor Green. Why don't you step into my office and you can tell me what's wrong?" Dr. Green suggested motioning for De Tanga to follow him.

"Thank you."

"So what can I do for a monster? They usually don't get sick and even if they do they don't usually seek out mortal medicine." Dr. Green asked once the two of them were seated.

"It's not for me. The people in Zelphilia and many other cities are being plagued by a strange illness. It causes fatigue, fever, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting. We don't know the name of the illness or what can be done to deal with it." De Tanga explained. "This woman Misty Gnallingson came through Zelphilia and seems she got sick here in this city and spread it to all the places she went."

"Oh my that's terrible!" Dr. Green exclaimed.

"Do you know what the virus is?" De Tanga looked at him hopefully.

"Why yes that's the nor-vork virus. It's a very aggressive stomach virus that's extremely contagious."

"And what can be done to deal with it?" De Tanga's hopes rose.

"Absolutely nothing."

And with that De Tanaga's hopes crashed into a million pieces. "Nothing? Nothing at all?"

"The virus lasts about a week and at that point the affected will start to feel better. Their stomachs will still be sensitive so they have to be careful what they can eat. There is no cure for the virus, it just has to run its course. The best thing for it is rest and liquids. If you can get them stomach food things like bananas, apples, rice and white bread is best. And that's typically what they should eat for a while when they do start to feel better."

"So there's no medicine that can be given to make them at least feel better?"

"Mild pain relievers for aches and pains associated with the vomiting and the fever is really the only medicines I could suggest. But even that isn't always a good idea as it can irritate their already agitated digestive systems. Really the best thing to give them is ginger based drinks. But not ginger beer."

De Tanga's face fell.

"I'm sorry son, I know it can be rough to deal with. All you can really do it wait."

"Thanks Dr. Green."

…

Devon almost jumped when De Tanga suddenly popped back up at 'The Devil's Spoon'. The monster had only been gone an hour, and Devon had expected him to take longer than that. "Well what is it?" Devon prompted him.

"Nor-vork virus."

Devon looked at him with hope. "And what's the cure?"

"Rest and liquids. Ginger based liquids."

"Whynn knows best." Devon said with a nod.

"Whynn knows best." De Tanga agreed.

…

Luna half hung off her bed as she lay in pain. Nearby was a bucket ready and waiting for her. She'd thrown up so much stuff that she didn't think it was possible to do any more. A part of her wanted to be angry at Gavin, as he was the first one to get sick. But it was more than likely that Luna caught the bug from one of her other family members as she was one of the last ones to get sick. Being sick sucked.

Usually during that time of the month Luna didn't like visitors. But with the way she was feeling at that moment all she wanted was a warm smile and a hug. She felt so pathetic.

When De Tanga phased into her room she assumed that the monster wasn't really there but this was just an illusion cooked up by her feverish mind. But usually illusions didn't come bearing drinks.

"Luna? I've brought you something that might make you feel better." De Tanga sat down next to her.

Knowing that the De Tanga sitting on her bed next to her was a real didn't matter much. She didn't have the energy to move. "I can't move." Luna moaned.

De Tanga put the thermos down on Luna's night stand and went to move the monster slayer. If this were a normal day De Tanga would have been delighted to be in physical contact with Luna. Waking up with her in his arms had been wonderful. But with Luna feeling so miserable De Tanga couldn't help but feel a bit guilty enjoying moving her.

As she was being flipped back onto her back Luna right away wrapped her arms around De Tanga. She did this weakly as that was all she could manage at that moment.

De Tanga reciprocated the hug and held her close. Right away De Tanga felt Luna's emotions and tension ease a bit. She clearly needed that hug. De Tanga didn't want to but he let go of her and leaned her back against her bed propped up by her pillows. He could feel the disappointment as the two of them separated. "Drink this." De Tanga instructed to her after he poured her a cup from the thermos.

"What is it?"

"A ginger tea. Whynn made it, it's got a couple herbs in it that should help with the pain." De Tanga held the cup out so he could help Luna take a sip.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Luna mumbled taking a sip of the tea.

"I like being nice to you." De Tanga looked at her fondly.

"I'm so mean to you; I won't even let you hold my hand." Luna was almost on the verge of tears.

'It's the fever talking De Tanga.' De Tanga told himself. 'Don't read too much into this.' But even as he was thinking it he could help but have his heart beat a little quicker. "I'll just enjoy it that much more when you do."

"How do you know I will?"

"Because I'm irresistible. Now drink some more." De Tanga held out the cup once more while flashing her a warm smile.

'Too damned irresistible.' Luna thought with a smile that matched his.

_(Author's Notes: The reason for this part was because so many people at my work are sick right now. I have a head cold myself, but that darn stomach bug is what is gripping my co-workers. The Norwalk virus. If you've had it before then you know just how much it sucks. I've had it twice a couple years back. So I just had to write about it. Now if you've watched ER then you might have been picturing Dr. Green in that hospital scene with De Tanga. It wasn't intentional but hey why not? Green is my favorite colour.) _


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's Notes: I predict there will be another 5-8 parts of this fic before we get to its' end. I had promised that there would be some Xellos/Filia in it (even though it's minor in comparison to Luna/De Tanga) and it is coming up. For those people that read Just Waiting just for the potential X/F in it please be a little more patient with me. I'll get to that soon enough. So yeah it is coming. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Eighteen, Day Sixty-Four – 26 Days to Go

By Relm

With everyone happy and well all the Inverse based businesses were back up and running. Some customers were still a little leery about going into 'The Devil's Spoon' but for the most part everything seemed to be back to normal.

"Quit moving!" Luna barked at her little brother as she threw another plate at him.

Ah yes everything was back to normal.

"Luna is it really such a good idea to be trying to kill Gavin in the restaurant?" Leviathan stopped his 'big' sister by grabbing her hands away from the pile of dishes.

This wasn't a good idea on Leviathan's part.

It was only a brief flash across Luna's face that foretold what she was going to do at that moment. So brief that Leviathan didn't realize it till he was air born and heading straight for the kitchen.

De Tanga let out a sigh and rolled his eyes as he phased to catch Leviathan before the serpent dragon turned human crashed into things. "Really Luna you have some anger issues. You try to pelt one of your brothers to death while the other you throw to his doom."

Luna shot him a glare. Which turned into a rather creepy smile. But that could be because she still had a whole arsenal of dishes and a brand new target.

De Tanga matched that smile as he phased out leaving Luna standing there not knowing where he went.

"De Tanga?" Luna called out as sweetly as she could manage. But given her mood and how evil she had been smiling her voice was filled with sinister intent.

While Luna looked around De Tanga kept phasing in and out taking plates with him as he did so. Until all of Luna's 'arsenal' was safely at the bar. He finally phased back before Luna sporting his own devilish grin.

Luna did a quick glance and noticed the lack of plates she had. She raised an eyebrow at him, not that you could tell as her bangs covered them. "How mean, taking away all my toys."

De Tanga was going to give her a witty retort until both he and Luna were distracted.

"AHHHHHH!" A female scream sounded from the kitchen. Whynn was cooking today and it was very rare that she ever got flustered while cooking. But this scream sounded like it was filled with fear and not frustration.

"Whynn what's wrong?" De Tanga called out to the bird/cat chimera.

"FIRE! HELP!" Whynn yelled from the kitchen in complete panic.

Right away all the boys ran to help leaving Luna alone at the front with all the customers. She just shrugged and went back to waiting on tables. Fire was a serious thing but Luna trusted the situation would be taken care off so she didn't give it any second thoughts. She was for the most part at ease until a sudden wave of power washed over her making her skin crawl.

Powerful creatures such as monsters and higher dragons tended to emit magical energy from their aura. For those attuned to magical energies the aura of a monster or a dragon could be dizzying. Especially in the case of powerful evil monsters.

De Tanga was powerful but his aura wasn't terribly tainted by evil. So De Tanga's aura didn't bother Luna all that much.

But this aura wasn't so good or pure. No this was the aura of an evil monster, and powerful at that.

Luna felt the energy coming from behind her. It was coming from a recently emptied table. She didn't need to turn around to know there was now a monster sitting at that very table.

With one and on her sword handle Luna turned and slashed with one fluid movement. She cut the table in half but the monster was too quick. He had already phased to another part of the eating area.

"You reputation holds merit. You are perceptive and quick. Shame not quick enough." The monster taunted Luna with a smile evil enough to match the evilness in his eyes.

As Luna turned to glare at the source of the noise she was taken aback. It was strange enough for a monster to tread into her territory as it was and to taunt her in her place of work to boot. But that wasn't what surprised Luna. He stood before her dressed in shades of black and beige holding his staff up and pointed at her. His purple eyes shone with mischief as he glared at her. His hair was a matching shade of purple, long enough that it almost touched his shoulders. Had his hair been a different shade of purple and longer around the shoulders and the bangs you might have sworn Luna was looking at a twin of herself. The monster was of course male and stood a few inches taller than the monster slayer but the similarities were too freaky not to notice.

The monster glared at Luna and Luna glared right back. Luna's long bangs might have shielded the intensity in her eyes but it didn't hide it.

When this particular monster got into a staring match he usually won. Few could stare into those rarely opened purple eyes and not feel fear and anxiety. But his opponent wasn't just some random person, it was Luna Inverse the monster slayers after all. She met his glare straight on. And though the monster tended to exude confidence and power he felt his resolve start to ebb away.

"Crisis averted!" De Tanga announced coming back into the dining area. "One of Whynn's feathers- hey what's going on here?" He exclaimed noticing the table. "What the hell happened to the table?" De Tanga looked to Luna for answers. He saw her with her sword in hand ready to strike. Her opponent looked just as ready for a fight with his staff up.

"So it is true." The monster announced amusedly.

"Xellos...?" De Tanga wondered if he was seeing things. His mind couldn't wrap around the idea of Xellos being in Zelphilia let alone in 'The Devil's Spoon'. But there he was looking ready for a fight.

'Xellos?' Luna frowned. Even without the stories De Tanga had told Luna knew who Xellos was. Xellos was the general priest of Greater Beast Zellas and a very powerful monster. During the war of the monster's fall Xellos the 'trickster priest' had been rumoured to have killed hundreds if not thousands of golden dragons. Xellos was a dangerous adversary to say the least but knowing that didn't put Luna on edge. She was more than ready to kill any monster that went against her. And a good part of her was just itching to kill Xellos. The priest treaded into her turf and mocked her in her own restaurant. That was reason alone to die. But Luna refrained. Xellos was De Tanga's best friend after all, and given how things were left between them Luna figured her killing Xellos would serious hurt her 'relationship' with De Tanga. "Outside. Five minutes. Any longer and I go hunting." She warned De Tanga before going to fix the broken table.

The two monsters instantly phased outside to that spot that overlooked Lake Zelphilia.

"So..." Xellos began. "The great priest of Deep Sea Dolphin working as a waiter. And for Luna Inverse the monster slayer. Such irony." He smiled at De Tanga darkly.

De Tanga wasn't sure what to say. The last time he saw Xellos he looked like he was split in two. And it was his master that inflicted that damage. What do you say in that sort of a situation? And De Tanga couldn't even tell if Xellos was angry or not. Was Xellos holding a grudge? Was he here to settle the score or to make up? All De Tanga could do was look at his former best friend dumbly. "How...?" He finally managed to eke out of his otherwise silenced voice.

"How did I live or how did I find you?" Xellos prompt sitting down on a rock staring out at the lake. The lake was very similar to the one in Filia's town and it had a similar calming effect.

"Both." De Tanga admitted.

"Filia-dear nursed me back to health." Xellos explained rather cryptically.

Those words stun De Tanga. It had been his fault that Xellos had gotten injured so for that he felt tremendously guilty. And though he wanted to believe he held no more feelings for Filia that Luna was his main focus now hearing about Filia fussing over Xellos stirred up emotions he'd rather not be feeling.

"I knew I didn't need to eat before coming here. Really De Tanga you should have some more control over your emotions. But then that's what I've always enjoyed most about your company. The free meals." Xellos joked darkly before going on with his explanation. "Filia eventually got Val to explain everything. About how even though you and her were playing games with my mind you were playing some of your own. That you were trying to get Filia and I together and along the way you fell in love with Filia yourself."

De Tanga remained silent. A part of him didn't know what to say the other part didn't feel like he had the right to say anything.

"Of course Filia didn't tell me this. I naturally was ease dropping during Val's conversation with her. I was quite surprised to find all this out. Even more so when I got summoned before my master and she told me of her involvement in this little game. I must say old friend you're more deceitful than I gave you credit for."

"So we're still friends?" De Tanga timidly asked.

Xellos let out a dark chuckle. "Always such a worrier aren't you? Really how can I be mad? You pulled the ultimate prank on me. You really pulled the wool over my eyes. If anything I should applaud you."

"How did you find me?"

"Well that was a difficult undertaking on itself. You see your master was the only person that knew where you had gone and it wasn't like she was going to be forth coming with information. So that left me searching almost randomly. I'd never had figured that you were in Zelphilia. It is the one place monsters shouldn't go. In fact I would have never thought about coming here if it hadn't been for those two trips you took outside of the city. In a couple towns you admitted you came from Zelphilia. A monster coming from a city banned of monsters is a strange thing indeed." Xellos took a sip of tea as he recounted his journey to the home of the monster slayer. This was strange as Xellos didn't have the tea when he originally sat down.

"So why are you here for?" De Tanga sat himself down next to Xellos.

"To deliver this." Xellos produced a white envelope decorated with white and silver flowers. Written in very nice calligraphy was De Tanga's name.

De Tanga regarded the envelope with suspicion. As he opened it he was shocked by what it contained. "This is a wedding invitation." He said out loud not even believing it as he said it.

"Yes it is." Xellos smiled. "I picked out the paper. It's quite a lovely shade of eggshell."

"It's white." De Tanga stated dryly. "And that's not even the most important thing about it! You're getting married... to Filia?"

"Why yes." Xellos took a sip of his tea while letting out a content sigh. "That was what your main goal was to start off with. Seems a shame to have the game go to waste don't you think?"

"How did you get her to agree to it?" De Tanga was dumbfounded. He had been very sure of Xellos and Filia's feelings but he would have never believed things would progress so quickly.

"She hasn't." Xellos took another sip of his tea.

De Tanga frowned. "Excuse me? So what you're handing out invitations for a wedding that she hasn't agree to? Why would you do that? If she hasn't said yes to marrying you what makes you think she'll marry you the day you have written on the invitation?"

"Oh she picked the 29th. Personally I would have preferred the 25th but she has some pottery teaching class that day." The complete nonchalant tone of Xellos' voice was quite confusing.

"I don't understand. She hasn't said yes to marrying you but she picked the day?" De Tanga tried to talk it out but it still didn't make sense.

"Yes."

"Argh! Xellos explain!"

"I put the ring on her finger. She refused to say yes but then she refuses to take the ring off her finger. If you ask her if she marrying me she'll verbally deny it. But if you ask her about the ring she'll pretend she has no idea what you are talking about." Xellos explained.

Now De Tanga understood. "She is marrying you, but she can't verbally acknowledge it. She's in denial about your engagement but you two are really engaged."

"Correct."

De Tanga felt his head hurt. It really shouldn't have surprised him to find out such a bizarre thing was occurring. Filia and Xellos were both too prideful to just come out and say they love each other. Both would have to have the upper hand and be as difficult as possible. "And you want me to come to your wedding?"

"I want you to be my best man."

De Tanga had to look at Xellos very hard to try and determine whether Xellos was making an honest request. "Your best man?"

"It seems that few people like me. And you are my best friend and all."

"I almost got you killed." De Tanga pointed out.

"Because of you I'm getting married." Xellos pointed out.

"Yes to a golden dragon. A sworn enemy of our race. Her ancestors would kill you if they were alive. A union between a golden dragon and a monster is blasphemous!"

"I know, isn't it lovely?"

De Tanga wanted to bash his head against a tree. Xellos could be so frustrating after all.

"Five minutes is up. I'd better go before your boss comes after me. I'll see you at the wedding." Xellos phased out not giving De Tanga a chance to say anything more.

De Tanga just sat there by the lake staring at the invitation in his hands. This was a lot of information to digest. 'He's torturing me. He wants to me to stand up there and watch the woman I cared for marry him. But he is my best friend. Maybe he just wants my support.'

With a heavy sigh De Tanga phased back to the restaurant.

Luna snapped her head to stare at De Tanga. It was a questioning stare not a glare but coming from Luna any sort of a look felt like a glare. "Well?" She prompted him.

"I need to talk you alone."

...

With Gavin and Leviathan looking after the customers Luna and De Tanga headed out behind 'The Devil's Spoon' to sit and talk.

"What did he want?" Again Luna asked once the two of them sat.

De Tanga didn't answer he just deftly handed her the invitation.

"He's marrying her... And he wants you to come." Luna observed.

"He wants me to be his best man." De Tanga corrected her.

Luna narrowed her eyes and handed De Tanga back the invitation. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I should go. But I don't know if I can. Watch them... together..." De Tanga felt miserable and guilty. Luna was the one he was supposed to be focused on but there he was feeling upset about Filia's upcoming marriage. He had no idea how Luna was feeling. 'I'm a rotten person.' He decided.

"If you don't go then that shows how weak you are." Luna insisted. Her expression was very hard to read.

"I can't go there alone." He admitted while looking back at the invitation. He hadn't looked too closely at the date on the paper. But now as he looked at it it screamed out at him. The wedding was in twenty-five days. Twenty-five. In twenty-six days it would be Luna's decision time. Whether she was going to date him or not. 'I can't ask her to go with me. That would break our agreement. Going to a wedding with me would definitely be a date. And what a first date that would be. You don't bring first dates to weddings.'

"I'll go with you." Luna offered.

De Tanga snapped his head in Luna's direction. "What? Did you see what the day of the wedding is?" He exclaimed.

"Yes."

"That would be day 89 of our agreement. You'd be dating me a day sooner!"

"No I wouldn't." Luna smiled at him.

"What do you mean?"

"It wouldn't be a date." Luna explained. "I'd be going to see if you are worth 'investing' in."

"You want to see how I react to Filia marrying him." De Tanga realized. "But that would be hard... on you wouldn't it?"

"If you are worth the trouble then it won't matter." Luna knew this was a bad idea even as she said it. How could she watch him watch her get married? It would make anyone feel like they are a consolation prize. But Luna couldn't help it. She had to go. She had to see what she was up against. To see if there was ever really going to be a chance between the two of them. "Are you worth the trouble?" Luna glared at De Tanga.

De Tanga deftly nodded. There was a small part of him that was jumping up and down inside. Luna was going to go out with him. And even though she claimed it wouldn't be a date there was no way it couldn't be anything else no matter what she said. But at the same time he came a grim realization. 'If I fail this test then it's over before it ever started. Luna will never want to have anything to do with me ever again.'

Weddings were supposed to be happy occasions, not ones that inspired fear in the hearts of man. But that's just what this wedding was doing.


	19. Chapter 19

**Just Waiting**

Part Nineteen, Day Seventy-one – 19 Days to Go

By Relm

So here we are again, that same week of the month where 'The Devil's Spoon's head waitress was out of commission. Yes as it was Luna Inverse's 'time of the month'.

Usually most of the workers of 'The Devil's Spoon' relished not having to deal with the abrasive and frightening waitress. Plus with her not there it wasn't as busy so it made for a more of an easier week. But for one waiter that wasn't the case.

De Tanga did his duties, waiting tables, cleaning and getting orders with almost clinical precision. He made no mistakes and he appeared to be polite and personable but this was far from the usual De Tanga that worked at 'The Devil's Spoon'. While De Tanga worked his brain was elsewhere and it had a lot to do with that white envelope sitting in his pocket.

Since Xellos showed up the previous week with that little white envelope De Tanga's mind had been in a fog. That envelope had been of course for Xellos and Filia's wedding invitation. When De Tanga had some time to really look at the invitation he noted some very key parts about this seemingly harmless piece of stationary.

The first thing was the elegant handwriting. De Tanga was pretty sure that the invitations weren't all written out by hand. It appeared that an ink press and a template had been used. So that in its self shouldn't have been noteworthy. However De Tanga was very well aware of what Filia's handwriting looked like and it was easy to see that it was indeed her writing. Filia had written what the template had been made from. Even if Filia wasn't being verbally affirmative this wedding to be her actions clearly said otherwise.

The next part De Tanga focused on was where you circle a yes or no if you are coming. And under that if you are bringing a guest. This was a standard for most wedding invitations. You had to make your decision and mail the RSVP back so that those planning the wedding know if you are coming and if you are coming with someone. What made this part of the invitation strange was that Xellos appeared to have circled the 'Yes' option for attending the wedding. Perhaps it was something he did in all the invitations just to be annoying. Because who knew exactly Xellos had decided to invite. But there was the possibility that Xellos only did that with De Tanga's invite. Xellos had taken away the option making it impossible for De Tanga to say no to coming to the wedding.

That invitation still sat in his pocket and still had none of De Tanga's pen marks on it. He could have easily scratched out where Xellos had circled and then circle 'No' himself. But De Tanga didn't even know if he was going or not. Let's say though if he did decide to go then there was the problem with the plus one part of the invitation.

Luna had said to him the previous week that she would go with him. That had been a very bittersweet moment for him. In such a short amount of time he found himself literally addicted to Luna Inverse. He needed her company so badly that he didn't want to stay away. But this wasn't just any wedding, this was _her _wedding.

Filia. She was the golden dragon he never meant to fall in love with. Whether it had been real love or not it had been the closest thing he'd felt to that emotion before. At least until coming to Zelphilia. When he first met Luna she rationalized that De Tanga didn't love Filia. That was the reason why he didn't try to stop Deep Sea Dolphin from attacking Filia. The short almost two and a half months he'd spent in Zelphilia De Tanga had clung to that fact.

But seeing Xellos and Filia's names on that invitation... it had been hard. It felt like a slap in the face. How could he brush off these old feelings as not being love and be so gripped by them so suddenly? He still felt something, and not knowing what it was was terrifying. Did he love Filia? And what about Luna?

If he did bring Luna to the wedding and these feelings for Filia did turn out to be love he wouldn't just be torturing himself. He was bound to make Luna suffer as much or even more than him. How could he do that?

But he didn't ask Luna to come. She offered. And in those days after that she had been quite insistent that they would be going. She made arrangements for coverage for the restaurant while the two were going to be away. She even planned when she and De Tanga would be going shopping for clothing and gifts.

Perhaps it had been Luna's stubborn nature that made her so firm about this issue. She had made her decision and she wasn't going to back down, even if she herself was having second thoughts.

De Tanga had been filled with dread all last week, but seeing Luna's evil smile made him feel more confident that everything would be fine. But it hadn't been enough for him to put the pen to the paper with his decision and mail it off.

And with Luna away from work for the week De Tanga didn't have any sort of daily reassurance. He wasn't sure what to do. It was all so confusing.

"I said good evening De Tanga!" Leviathan yelled standing right before the monster.

De Tanga looked up at him bewildered. He hadn't heard the serpent dragon turned human enter the restaurant or even say his first greeting. "Oh! Sorry. I guess my mind is elsewhere." De Tanga mumbled an apology.

"That's quite alright, you must have a lot on your mind." Leviathan went and got behind the bar. "Okay Devon you can go home now." Leviathan told his chimera cousin whom appeared to be napping.

"Huh?" Devon woke with a start. "Where am I? What time is it?" He looked around all confused.

"You're a work and your shift is over. Now go home." Leviathan shooed Devon.

"Bye guys." Devon let out a big yawn as he left.

As Devon went out the door Gertrude came in through it. This caused a few puzzled looks.

"Gertrude you're working tonight? I thought Whynn was cooking." De Tanga wondered out loud.

"Whynn is cooking. I'm going to wait tables." Gertrude said with a smile as she went to the back to get changed.

"That's something I haven't seen before." De Tanga mumbled.

"I think Luna asked her to come in so that you didn't have to work another double shift." Leviathan explained.

"That's nice. I guess that means it's time for me to go then." De Tanga let out a sigh but made no effort to leave. Instead he parked himself down on one of the barstools sitting in a very similar fashion as he did the first time he came to Zelphilia.

"De Tanga's what's wrong?" Leviathan asked as he fished out a wine glass and a couple different bottles of wine and put them in front of De Tanga. De Tanga may not have asked for it but Leviathan knew the monster wanted a drink.

"I'll take a glass of that one." De Tanga pointed to the bottle on Leviathan's left. "What makes you think something is wrong?"

"You had the same expression and manner the first time you came into this restaurant more than 2 months ago. Something was really bothering you then and I'd say something just as bad is bothering you now." Leviathan surmised as he poured.

"You were here that night?" De Tanga couldn't believe it. Leviathan was not an easy creature to ignore and it shocked him to learn he completely glossed over in his head everyone in the restaurant that day. 'You also went into the restaurant completely missing the name of the place or the fact that you were in Zelphilia.' A little voice in the back of his head reminded him.

"Don't worry I'm not offended. You were pretty messed up that day. I would have talked to you then about what was bothering you but Luna seemed pretty insistent on getting that out of you on her own. Of course I didn't know you were Deep Sea Dolphin's priest at the time."

"Hmm... that was a weird day." De Tanga took a sip of the full bodied wine and noted that it even though it was an excellent vintage he just wasn't enjoying it like he should.

"So what's wrong?"

De Tanga let out a defeated sigh and pulled out that envelope out of his pocket. "I don't know what to do." He admitted.

"It's always hard for you to watch someone you cared for marry someone else. There was this one horrible girl last year that Gavin had a huge crush on that refused to go out with him. And even though many months had passed and Gavin had finally gotten it into his head that she was a rotten girl he still was bothered when she went to the solstice dance with someone else. It wasn't near as important as marriage but she may as well have been marrying the guy. It bothered Gavin just the same. Even though he was over her a part of him still had that connection. Feelings don't go away they just change." Leviathan put his hand on De Tanga's shoulder. "Because you feel bothered by this upcoming wedding doesn't mean that you're in love with Filia. You cared for her and it stings to see her with someone else. Not because of your feelings but because she picked someone else."

"I don't know. It's so confusing. I didn't even know what it felt like to love someone before Filia. No one had ever wanted to give me a chance before. And I don't even know if that was real love."

"Do you think you loved Filia?"

De Tanga bit his bottom lip while he thought over all the events of the past few months. "I thought I did. And then I thought I never did. Now... I don't know what I feel. I'm afraid to go to that wedding and feel like I made the biggest mistake of my life. I put them together. They probably would have never been getting married if it weren't for me. I could have fought for her harder. I could have stopped my Master. Luna convinced me I didn't because I didn't truly love Filia. But what if I go there and see that Luna was wrong? How do I cope with that?"

"If you don't go you'll be wondering for the rest of your life. Even if you don't have those feeling for Filia you'll go through your life thinking you did. Sometimes the best course of action is to face what you fear in face."

De Tanga frowned. He knew Leviathan was right. He had to go to that wedding. Hell Xellos wanted him to be his best man for crying out loud! How could he let his best friend down after he failed him so badly before? "Going to the wedding would be the best course of action... But your sister..." His voice trailed off as he thought about Luna. The same Luna that annoyed and thrilled him. She could push his buttons making him want to scream or make him smile bigger than any fool. How could he put her through something like that?

"She probably shouldn't go. I love the fact that she'd want to support you like that but more likely she's going to feel bad no matter what. It would be hard for anyone in Luna's shoes not feel like the consolation prize. But Luna has already decided to go. And you can't change her mind once she's decided on something. So she's going to be with you."

"How do I make things right? How do I not screw things up with her?" De Tanga looked at Leviathan with such confusion and despair.

Leviathan was used to such hopeless looks. Usually he had the right answer but in this case it eluded him as well. "Listen I know about as much about Luna as everyone else. Which sadly isn't much. She doesn't confide in people often and maybe once in a while she talked to me when I was dragon, but she doesn't do that anymore. Getting anything out of her is a struggle. So I can't honestly give you advice how to make things work other than tell you to just be yourself and trust your own instincts. Because whether she wants to outwardly admit it or not Luna cares for you. She's never cared for someone like that before. So you've managed to do something that no one else has managed to do. If there's anyone who knows Luna Inverse well enough to get advice about her from it would probably be you De Tanga. Trust yourself and that everything is going to be okay." The dragon bartender flashed De Tanga a sympathetic smile.

Though it was a weak one, De Tanga returned Leviathan's smile.

...

After that drink at the restaurant De Tanga went to walk the city aimlessly. He didn't have a destination in mind, but as usual when he tended to wander he headed toward the water. Something about staring out at a large stretch of water seemed to calm De Tanga. So as he walked he wasn't surprised to find himself heading to that spot that overlooked Lake Zelphilia. What surprised him was what he found at that spot.

Sitting down on a rock he'd sat many times before De Tanga found Luna staring out at the water. The sun was setting splashing the water with a vast array of colours. A light breeze skimmed the water making it ripple. All the golden oranges, yellows and reds from the sky danced in the rippling water making it look like the water was a lake of fire. It was a truly beautiful sight but all De Tanga could look at was the girl staring out at it. "Hey." He said as he sat down next to her.

"Hey." She responded but didn't look away from the water.

"I thought you'd be at home." De Tanga spoke after a spill of silence.

"I was bored so I went for a walk."

"Good time for a walk. It's a pretty sunset." De Tanga observed.

"Yeah."

Another lapse of silence fell over the two as the sounds of the faint whispering of the wind was the only thing you could hear.

"You haven't sent in the RSVP yet." Luna finally spoke looking straight at De Tanga.

"I know."

"You need to send it soon. Send it too late and you might not be allowed to go to the wedding." Luna joked with a weak smile.

"Why do you want to go with me?" He met her gaze with such intensity.

Luna broke her stare and went back to looking at the lake. "I told you why last week."

"I know. But why would you want to go through all this trouble for me for? What makes me so special?" He dared to ask frightened what that answer would be.

"I don't know. I've been asking that myself since the first time I met you. A monster barging into my restaurant like you did would have caused me to kill them. I let you live. That's not something I normally do."

"Do you ever regret not killing?"

"Only when you flirt with other women. Keep that up and I will kill you." Luna flashed him another smile, but this one was far more sinister than her previous one.

Though De Tanga was aware that Luna was trying to get him into their normal jesting rapport he just wasn't into it. "Luna I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." Luna insisted with such conviction that it was hard for anyone to doubt her words.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am." This time Luna's voice wasn't so convincing.

De Tanga frowned not so sure himself if he believed what Luna was saying was true. And even though the situation was a strange and heavy one De Tanga still found himself distracted by the woman sitting next to him. But that was a normal reaction for De Tanga. Luna always seemed to make his thoughts go away when he looked at her. And especially when her hand was resting on the ground so close to his own. Oh how he wanted to hold her hand.

As De Tanga looked down at Luna's hand Luna was looking up at him watching. She couldn't help but smile. 'What is his damned obsession with holding my hand?'

De Tanga felt her eyes on him and he looked up sheepishly at her smiling guiltily. He expected some snappy remark or a strike of some sort. He didn't expect what Luna ended up doing.

What Luna did was she grabbed his arm and pulled it around her waist as she leaned into him putting her head on his shoulder.

De Tanga froze. This was far more intimate then Luna had ever allowed and he was afraid of how to act.

Luna chuckled darkly. "You're as stiff as a board. You really need to learn to relax."

"If I'm too relaxed I won't be prepared if you're going to hit me." De Tanga admitted.

"I know it's always more fun to strike someone when they aren't ready for it." She smiled at him with that reassuring evil smile of hers.

So De Tanga relaxed (a little) and the two of them watched the sunset. Later De Tanga would send off that RSVP showing that he was not only coming to the wedding but would be brining someone as well.


	20. Chapter 20

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty, Day Seventy-Eight – 12 Days to Go

By Relm

With Xellos and Filia's wedding date getting nearer and nearer it was becoming more important to have those little details like travel arrangements, wedding gifts and outfits in order. To reach Filia's town from Zelphilia by walking, flying or riding a horse would take several days. Given that Luna didn't want to spend all that time getting to the wedding location and coming back it was decided that they were going get to the wedding via teleportation.

De Tanga was a monster, so there was nothing strange about teleporting with or without people. He was fine with this method of travel.

But Luna like her father was quite against it. She wouldn't explain why but she definitely didn't want to travel by teleporting. But she didn't want to waste all that time travelling so she was left with little options.

So with that problem out of the way the next problem to address was what they were going to wear to the wedding and what gift they would bring. Since De Tanga was to be Xellos best man a tuxedo had been magically delivered to his room at the inn. De Tanga went to bed one night and woke up with a tux hanging on his closet door in a garment bag. The tux had a dark purple bow tie leading De Tanga to assume that all the bridesmaid gowns were going to be a similar purple shade. Since Luna wouldn't be part of the wedding party she could wear any colour besides purple or white.

When De Tanga usually saw Luna she was wearing shades of purple or white because that's the colours of her waitress uniform. But with both white and purple out of the question De Tanga wondered what colour she would choose.

"Wouldn't it be better to go shopping in Valsteep?" De Tanga wondered out loud as he and Luna went shopping in the streets of Zelphilia. "They have more interesting shops there than in Zelphilia. You don't go to a wedding every day so why wouldn't you want to get something extra special to wear?"

"It would waste a week travelling to go there shop and come back. And besides there's nice enough stuff here in the city." Luna huffed going through a sales rack rather angrily. Between Zelphilia and Valsteep Zelphilia was the larger city. But that was only so because Zelphilia had all those grape fields. The main draw in coming to Zelphilia was for the wine. When people wanted to shop they went to Valsteep.

"Maybe I would believe that if you weren't about to break the clothing rack in two. I can teleport us to Valsteep. We can do a quick bit of shopping, grab a quick bite to eat at one of the cafes and be back before you know it." De Tanga suggested with a suggestive smile.

"This isn't a date. So stop getting stupid ideas in that head of yours." Luna threw a couple hangers of clothing at De Tanga's head. "If I can avoid being teleported anywhere I will. We're staying here!"

"What is so wrong about teleporting?" De Tanga asked as he put the clothing back on the rack.

"It's... unnatural."

"So is flying but people do it every day with magic." De Tanga pointed out.

"That's different." Luna protested.

"Okay let's fly to Valsteep. It will be a bit more taxing but it shouldn't take too long."

"You know I don't do magic." Luna glared at him not that it was apparent with her bangs being so long. But De Tanga could tell from her tone what her state of mind was.

"I can fly us both." De Tanga again tried to persuade her. He was somewhat fixated on the idea of having a romantic lunch with Luna at one of Valsteep's little cafes. Even if it wasn't romantic at least it would be away from all the prying eyes in Zelphilia. Every time Luna and De Tanga went out anywhere alone gossip followed them.

"I will not be flown anywhere!" Luna stomped her foot in agitation.

"Oh so that's why." De Tanga finally realized her reluctance. "Luna Inverse wants to do things on her own. She doesn't want to have to rely on someone else to get anywhere. Or is it because you don't want to me have to hold you close during the trip?"

Luna didn't answer, she just rolled her eyes at him not caring if he knew it or not. Her eyes settled on a slinky black dress hanging on one of the racks. Picking it up she held it to her body and looked at herself in the mirror. It was a racy little number that definitely would turn heads. In her mind she imagined herself wearing the dress with black strappy heels and ruby red lipstick. It made her smile thinking about how much she would get De Tanga going. 'He'd have a really hard time resisting me in this.'

"You can't wear that one." De Tanga decided right away. "You shouldn't wear black at a wedding. That's a funeral colour." His reasoning did make sense but really he just didn't want her wearing such a revealing dress. It was fine if she was only wearing it for him but there was going to be other men at the party and he didn't want them to be drooling over her.

"You're just afraid I'll have men fighting over me." Luna looked at her with a saucy smile that was crooked on one side.

"You don't need to wear a revealing dress to do that." De Tanga countered wiggling his eyebrows.

Again Luna was rolling her eyes as she went back to shopping. She plucked several dresses from the racks to try on. Despite De Tanga's disapproval that little black dress went into the changing room with Luna.

"Are you going to show me when you try something on?" De Tanga called out to her sitting in a chair outside the fitting rooms.

"No." Luna answered curtly.

"Excuse me? You are going to show me! Otherwise what the hell is the point for me even being here with you in the first place? I'm not just going to wait here like an obedient dog until you're finished and then carry your bags. You need to model them for me. You have to make it worth my time." De Tanga fumed.

"You'll wait and carry my bags just because even doing just that is worth it." Luna said quite smugly as she put on the black dress. It felt silky on her skin and was tight in all the right areas. But it was short, too short and extremely revealing. Luna knew she looked good but she couldn't go to a wedding dressed like a prostitute.

"Luna you smug little tease I demand you show me at least one dress! Otherwise I'm leaving!" Of course that was an idle threat, there was no way he was going to leave. But he liked the idea of knowing that he could.

"Alright you big baby I'll show you this one as I'm not going to go to the wedding dressed in it." Luna emerged from the fitting room sporting a very devious smile.

De Tanga's eyes almost popped out of his head. He'd never seen Luna wearing such little clothing and it was so revealing that it made him blush. "Uh... wow... you... wow..."

Luna's smile broadened as she sauntered over to him putting her hand on one of his legs. "Does that mean you like this... dress?" She leaned in and whispered into his ear.

De Tanga's heart was beating so loudly that he could barely hear what Luna was saying to him. "Uh... yes..." 'Damn you Luna! You know just how to push my buttons! Why do you have to be so attractive?'

"So I should wear it to the wedding?"

"No!" De Tanga was quick to answer.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I am! Now go try on something else please!" De Tanga huffed trying to look away from her.

"I thought you wanted me to model for you?" Luna's voice was all soft and childlike with all the undertones of a sex kitten.

"Luna go change!" De Tanga growled at her.

Luna let out a very satisfied laugh as she went back to the changing room.

Once Luna was back in the fitting room De Tanga let out a deep sigh. 'If she's going to do that to me every time then it's just as well that she doesn't model anything else.'

"Oooooh! This isn't much better than that black one." Luna called out from the fitting room. "Do you still want me to model it for you?"

"No!" De Tanga replied instantly.

"Are you sure?" Again that sugar sweet voice from Luna.

"You know damn well I'm sure! You just live to torture me don't you?" He growled crossing his arms over his chest.

Luna laughed as she examined herself in the mirror. The dress she was wearing an equally revealing red dress. She looked good in it but it still made her look like a hooker. Plus red wasn't exactly her colour anyway.

In the fitting room with Luna there were three more dresses. One dress was a jade green, another was a deep blue and the last one was a very frosty shade of teal. All three colours were sure to look good against her purple hair. But which one to go with?

The jade green dress was an empire waist dress that was very flowy in the skirt. The length was longer than the previous two dresses but it wasn't too long. However the dress had very wide straps was just far too modest for Luna's tastes. Though the green dress would be perfect for a wedding it just wasn't working for Luna.

The deep blue dress was strapless and much more revealing than green one. But this one was almost floor length and far too dressy even for a wedding.

The last dress was a halter style dress that was just a bit shorter in length than the green dress. It was very fitted in the bodice and it flared out in the skirt area. And the colour was nice too. The light blue green looked very nice against Luna's tanned skin and icy purple hair. 'This dress would look nice with De Tanga's dark blue green hair.' Luna mused twirling around.

It felt it an eternity to De Tanga as he sat and waited for Luna to come out of the fitting room. His mind kept wandering back to Luna in that black dress. 'She's been pretty quiet in there. I wonder if she's found anything...'

"I'm finished." Luna announced as she emerged from the fitting room with two dresses in hand. The light teal dress and the black one.

"That's a nice colour." De Tanga commented trying to get a closer look at the teal dress.

Right away Luna turned away making it impossible for De Tanga to see the dress. "Oh no you didn't want me to model it for you so you don't get to see it until the wedding." Luna announced going to the sales clerk.

"Oh come on Luna, let me see it." De Tanga pleaded.

Luna ignored De Tanga and turned her attention to the sales clerk. "I'd like to buy these two dresses."

"Two?" De Tanga wondered out loud. "You're getting two? What's the other one?"

"That black dress." Luna smiled smugly.

"Th-the black dress? Wh-why would you get that one?" De Tanga stuttered.

"Well let's say I do decide to date you in the end. I'll need a dress to where to that date won't I?" Luna winked at him as she got her purchase from the clerk.

"Uh... um... that's... ah... very nice." De Tanga's mind once again was back to Luna in that black dress. "You couldn't have waited another twelve days before you laid that bombshell on me?"

"What does thinking about me in that dress get you all bothered? Or is it thinking of getting me out of it?" Luna wiggled her eyebrows suggestively even though De Tanga couldn't see it.

De Tanga had to snap his head to look at Luna to make sure it was her he was talking to. Sure the two of them flirted and she had seen him naked before but this was different. Luna was bold but not in this way usually. Though the idea of taking their 'relationship' to a more intimate level was exciting but that's not what De Tanga wanted right away. He wanted something that would last, not end as soon as it started. "I would never seduce a woman on a first date."

"What makes you think you'll be the one doing the seducing?" Luna suggested.

"Why do you think you're so damned irresistible?" De Tanga dared her.

"Because I am." Luna stuck her nose in the air with a confident smile.

"Well I don't think you'd ever seduce me." De Tanga crossed his arms across his chest.

"I wouldn't need to try very hard with you."

"You're so sure of yourself. Do you really think you're that good?"

"No I just think you're that easy. You're practically putty in my hands."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "You always think so little of me. Or so highly of yourself. I still haven't figure out which."

"Well I certainly wouldn't be dating you for your brains." Luna verbally jabbed him.

"No that would be because of my charm and good looks. Oh and because you're addicted to me yourself." De Tanga jabbed back.

"Really?" Luna smiled clearly amused. "That's... funny."

"Ha ha. So we have your dress and I have my tux. What are we getting for a wedding gift for the two of them?" De Tanga asked changing the subject.

"I've never been to a wedding... what's a typical gift?"

"A gravy boat. But I don't think that's something they would want."

"What sort of people are they? Is there something you think they'd need?"

De Tanga tapped his chin in thought. "Filia loves vases, pottery, maces and flowers. Xellos loves to annoy Filia. So I have no idea what they would need. Somehow I don't think a set of pots and pans or a rug would be something they'd need. They both like tea actually... Maybe a new tea set with some teas special to Zelphilia?" He suggested.

Luna made a face. "If they are both tea drinkers more likely Filia has a good tea set already. And Zelphilia isn't known for its tea. We're getting wine." Luna announced.

"Wine?"

"Yeah. Because that's what we're known for. We'll get them a set a wine glasses and some wine." Luna decided grabbing his hand and dragging him into a glass and crystal store.

De Tanga might have been impressed by the outside appearance of the glass and crystal store he was being dragged into had it not be Luna doing the dragging. All he could focus at that moment was that Luna had a pretty fierce hold on his hand. He had envisioned holding Luna's hand before but he assumed he'd still have feeling in his digits! They were almost turning blue! He was about to say something to her about that until they got into the store.

Zelphilia was a city known for its wine. In fact that was the only thing they were really known for. Their wine glasses and other crystals were not highly praised and sought after. And why should they really? A glass is just a glass after all. Or at least that's what De Tanga had thought previously. He never gave a glass too much thought; it was usually the wine it contained that interested him. But a fine wine needs a wine glass at the same calibre as the wine served in it.

Inside that large store was the hugest selection of glass and crystal De Tanga had ever seen. There were hundreds if not thousands of different wine glasses to choose from. Some big, some small, some short and some tall. There were different shapes and colours of glass and they all sparkled like diamonds. "Wow... there's so many to choose from... I never realized there were so many types. I thought a glass was just a glass." De Tanga admitted feeling somewhat foolish.

Luna growled at him in disgust before picking up two varieties of wine glasses. "A glass isn't a glass when it's being used to serve Zelphilian wine! You can't serve wine in any old glass." Luna presented the two types of glasses for De Tanga too look at. The first one she held up was a very large and rounded glass. "This sort of wine glass is favoured usually by those that prefer red wine and wish to savour the aromas of it." Luna held up the second glass which was much taller and skinnier. "These sort of glasses are more favoured by white wine drinkers; particularly the sparkling whites."

"Luna I don't know if wine is such a good idea... I'm sure Xellos would drink it but Filia's a very light drunk. She doesn't drink too much. Something else might be a better idea." De Tanga suggested.

Even with Luna's bangs in front of her eyes you could tell she was glaring at De Tanga. "We're getting them a set of glasses and wine and that's final!" She barked at him while putting the two glasses down.

"And why do you get to make the decision for? I know them better."

Luna ignored De Tanga and went to examine the glasses.

De Tanga stood there at the store entrance with his arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. Leviathan had told De Tanga in the past that Luna was stubborn when it came to decisions. Once she made her mind up she wouldn't change her mind for anything. 'She's a stubborn mule just like her father.' De Tanga mentally grumbled before giving up and going to join Luna at her side.

"What sort of wine do they drink?"

De Tanga shrugged. "I don't know, I told you they aren't big wine drinkers. I don't think getting them wine is a good idea."

"Filia is marrying a monster that lives to annoy her. She'll need the booze if their marriage is to last more than a month without her killing him. Unless you want to go to your friend's funeral." Luna rationalized.

De Tanga frowned. She had him there. "Alright if I remember correctly when Xellos drank wine in the past it was usually red. As for Filia I think she drinks white just because she doesn't drink often."

"White wine tends to be sweeter and more accepting to inexperienced pallets... Which means we'd have to get them at least a bottle of both red and white." Luna mumbled to herself. "Okay then we'll go with one of these kinds."

De Tanga looked at the glasses Luna was eyeing. As far as height and roundness they fell somewhere in-between the first two glasses Luna showed him. Even with the choices narrowed down there was still too many to choose from. It was dizzying trying to pick one out from them all. "How do we pick?"

"What sort of style would they go for? Simple and elegant? Or lavishly ornate?"

Again De Tanga was at odds. "Filia would go for something elegant for sure. While Xellos would want something ridiculously over the top."

"You're about as helpful as a rock." Luna snapped at him.

"You're the one that decided we're getting them the glasses so you pick!" De Tanga barked back.

Luna scanned the glasses back and forth trying to narrow the field down. When faced with buying something for someone you didn't know well and didn't have much information to go on it was always best to go with your gut. If you were receiving that gift would you like it? So that's the approach Luna took. She selected three glasses that she herself wouldn't mind receiving. "Pick one."

De Tanga examined the three wine glasses carefully. All three were closer to a simple and elegant style with just a few lavish touches. One appeared to have a sculpted flower out of glass at the top of the stem. It was quite pretty but it was just a tad too feminine for a couple. The second was far too simple with the very base of the glass having a circular spiral. The third one had a very wide base that tapered in a dramatic curve. It had smooth groves that were vertical going up to the actual glass part. "I like this one." De Tanga pointed to third one.

"Good if you picked the flower one I'd question your judgement." Luna darkly joked as she selected a box set of the glass they picked to take to the desk.

"If you didn't like that one why put it out there as a choice?" De Tanga protested. "All these stupid hoops I have to jump through for you is annoying enough but you have to test me too? Bah!"

"Shut up and carry the box." Luna handed De Tanga their purchase once it was paid for.

"So what sort of wine are we getting?"

"Not dry ones that's for sure. Lyx has some we can sample at her winery." Luna explained as the two of them headed for Lyx's winery.

Lyx was one of many wine makers in Zelphilia. What made her stand out from the others besides that she was good at what she did was that she wasn't human, elf, dwarf or any large sized creature. Lyx was a pixie and a tiny little one at that. How Lyx was able to do what she did no one knew, but one thing was for sure her wine was some of Zelphilia's best.

"Come in!" Lyx called out to Luna and De Tanga before they even reached the door. This was very common for Lyx as she always seemed to know someone was there even before they knocked.

"Good afternoon Miss Lyx." De Tanga bowed at Lyx as he and Luna entered the building.

Lyx let out a high pitched giggle as she flew over to greet them. "Oh De Tanga I've told you not to be so formal with me! You're always so gentlemanly. And handsome too." She giggled once more.

Luna glared at Lyx and cleared her throat. "You have wine for us to try right?"

"Oh sorry I know you don't like me flirting with your boyfriend!" Lyx apologized.

De Tanga expected Luna to defend her relationship status and deny that De Tanga was her boyfriend. But surprisingly Luna didn't correct the pixie.

"So what sort of wine are you interested in? White or red? Sweet or dry?"

"Not dry. And both red and white."

"I take it this isn't for yourself then? Oh is this wine going to be part of your gift for that wedding you two are going to? One of them must be an inexperienced wine drinker. I have just the wines for you!" In a flash Lyx had four glasses of wine poured each for Luna and De Tanga. Two red and two white. "They are both smooth with bright flavours. The whites are crisp with a lighter finish than most while the reds are rich and robust."

De Tanga had had wine from Lyx's winery before but even he was surprised. They were delicious! He had no idea which two was best. He liked all four.

Luna however a born and raised Zelphilian was far pickier when it came to wine. She pondered them taking a few more sips here and there before making her decision. "Alright I'll take a case each of this red and this white." Luna decided pointing to the wines she liked.

"Two cases? I thought we were just getting two bottles? Isn't that a bit much?" De Tanga exclaimed.

"I'm going to keep half of each case for the restaurant. And then I'll put other two halves together in one case to take to the wedding." Luna explained.

"Still that seems like a lot though... You're going to make me carry the wine and the glasses to wedding aren't you?"

Luna didn't answer she just grinned like a cat.

_(Author's Notes: Lyx is a flavour of the week sort of a character. Since I hadn't had Luna and De Tanga visit a winery yet I figured I'd make a random character just for this part. And I kinda like the idea of a cute little flirty pixie being a wine maker. Just the logistics of it is amusing. Who knows maybe I'll use Lyx in another fanfic. But as I have stated many times in the past Zelphilia is supposed to be a refuge for all so I have to have more creatures besides humans present in the fic. And a warning... you guys have one more part before we get to right before the wedding. The wedding is more likely going to be at least 3 parts worth (possibly 4) so the end is near. I really have been enjoying this weekly timeline thing. It's almost like I'm doing a TV show.)_


	21. Chapter 21

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-one, Day Eighty-Five – 5 Days to Go

By Relm

It was less than a week before D-Day and less than a week before the wedding. If you asked De Tanga which one of those dates made him more nervous he wouldn't have been able to answer. This week was already proving to one filled with fear and uneasiness.

Milo didn't understand what had De Tanga all agitated. The Kitten just watched him with amusement. What the kitten also found interesting was that Luna seemed to be agitated too. It was times like this that Milo wished he had a better understanding of human speech.

At this particular time De Tanga was laying in bed looking at the ceiling of his rented inn room. This is what he had been doing almost the whole night. Sleep had eluded the monster as it had the previous two nights. Sleep was not a requirement for a monster but he did appreciate it when he got it. He thought to what humans did when they couldn't sleep. Remedies like warm milk worked for mortals but they didn't for monsters.

Milo was aware his master wasn't sleeping. The jungle cat in him told him to pounce. But the domesticated cat in him told him to be sweet and cuddle up to his master. Milo settled in-between the two and carefully leapt onto the bed approaching De Tanga slowly.

Just as he had done with Luna Milo put up one of his paws towards De Tanga's face.

It could be quite disturbing to be lost in thought and suddenly have a paw appear right in front of your face. De Tanga however was used to this behaviour from Milo so he waited to see what the kitten would do.

Slowly Milo's paw descended till it got closer and closer to De Tanga's face. Milo's paw finally landed resting on De Tanga's nose. Milo was only pawing at De Tanga so his claws were not exposed.

It was hard not to smile at this action. But somehow De Tanga managed not to say or do anything. He found this sort of actions from Milo amusing. Milo sense of curiosity always had him doing strange things.

Since he was getting no reaction from De Tanga Milo decided to get closer. With his paw still on De Tanga's nose he got closer moving his face right in front of De Tanga's.

"What are you doing cat?" De Tanga questioned Milo as the cat's nose was almost on one of De Tanga's eyes.

Milo flopped onto his side half laying on De Tanga's face.

De Tanga shoved Milo off and moved to his side with his back facing Milo.

Milo not liking being snubbed jumped up onto De Tanga's shoulder and craned his neck downward to get near De Tanga's face.

De Tanga grabbed the kitten and pulled him close.

Milo contently purred as he drifted off to sleep.

"It's nice that one of us can sleep. You don't realize how easy you have it." De Tanga petted Milo on the head.

In his sleep Milo purred.

When a person didn't sleep enough they tended to eat more food to compensate. Likewise if a person got lots of sleep they wouldn't find themselves as hungry throughout the day. For a monster like De Tanga feeding was a must in there was no sleep.

So as De Tanga lay in bed the ever so content Milo slumbered on spilling over with happy emotions. Now larger creatures with more complex mental capacities were better feeding options than small creatures like kittens but De Tanga couldn't help himself. He found himself snacking on the little kitty's content emotions. 'I wish a kitty's emotions worked like warm milk for humans. I wonder if Luna is having any trouble sleeping...'

...

Luna was also suffering from some restless nights herself. She was tired and wanted to sleep but she couldn't. Her mind was too busy with thoughts of the events coming up. The difference between De Tanga and her was that things like milk possibly could work for her.

She had avoided using homemade sleep remedies thus far as she didn't care to take sleep aids. But this was the third night she would have gone without sleep. And though she may have been stubborn enough to endure two restless nights she wasn't about to go a third night.

The house was quiet as Luna made her way down the stairs. It was the middle of the night so everyone was probably sleeping or trying to sleep. Luna wasn't one to care about things like accidently disturbing someone's sleep but this time she was actually trying to be quiet. She didn't care if she bothered anyone but she didn't want anyone bothering her. It was always annoying to have to explain yourself as to why you were still up and not sleeping. Is there something wrong? Are you not feeling well? Is something bothering you?

Luna hated those kinds of confrontations. She was never a pour your guts sort of a person. It was the main reason why she was always so uneasy around Leviathan. Leviathan was a pour your guts person. He wanted to talk about everything and make everyone feel better. Luna did love Leviathan but the two of them were as opposite as night and day. She liked to keep her problems and emotions to herself.

So as Luna made her way down to the kitchen she was extra quiet, hoping not to alert anyone. Especially Leviathan. And she for the most part she was doing a pretty good job. She managed to make it down the stairs and almost all the way to the kitchen without making any noise or causing anyone to leave their room. Luna was feeling pretty good about herself as she got into the kitchen.

Of course one thing that Luna didn't take in consideration was that she may not be the only one awake. But she soon realized the error in her assumption when she stepped into the kitchen.

"Luna? Why are you still up?" Faithe questioned her eldest daughter while sipping some hot steaming beverage from a big mug. She stood in the kitchen leaning leisurely against the counter. From the bags under her eyes you could tell Faithe herself hadn't been sleeping well either.

"I could ask you the same." Luna glared at her mother. "What are you drinking?"

"Warmed milk. You want a mug?"

Luna nodded and sat herself down at the table.

"So if you came down here for the milk then that means you aren't sleeping either." Faithe surmised after she poured a mug of the milk for Luna.

"I really don't feel like being interrogated." Luna glared at her mother before taking a sip of the milk.

"I don't need to interrogate you to know why you aren't sleeping. You're worried about what's going to happen at that wedding. You're afraid of what you might see in De Tanga's eyes. Maybe you're even afraid he may try and stop the wedding." Faithe sat herself down across from Luna.

Luna starred at her steaming mug of milk rather than answer her mother.

"Don't you want to know why I'm not sleeping?"

Luna looked up and glared at her mother once more. "No."

"Well tough because I'm going to tell you. The first time in my eldest daughter's life she has found a man who hasn't been scared off or get killed right from the get go. A man though complicated with his own problems has worked hard to get through my stubborn daughter's shell. He even got my stupid husband to like him. For the first time it seems like my little girl has a real chance to find happiness. And for me to have grandchildren. Only it seems like my eldest daughter is about to do something really stupid."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Aren't you being a little dramatic?"

"When it comes between me and my future grandkids then no I'm not!" Faithe insisted.

"I'm not you're only child." Luna reminded her.

"Gavin and Leviathan are nowhere near ready to get into relationships that could result in having kids. And don't get me started on your sister. I'm still mad at you for that one."

Again Luna rolled her eyes. "Be thankful I didn't kill her."

"You drove her out of Zelphilia Luna! I may never see her again! And whatever children she might have. If you screw this relationship with De Tanga up I may have wait years for another chance for grandkids. And your grandmother is looking forward to this too you know. She wants great-grandkids."

"How exactly am I 'screwing' this 'relationship' with De Tanga up?" Luna humoured her mother in a mocking sarcastic tone.

"You can't go to that wedding. No good can come of it. Meeting your man's ex is always trouble."

"I met her before he did. And there wasn't anything really special about her." Luna muttered to herself more than her mother.

"Really? Nothing special? She's a golden dragon for crying out loud! She may be the last of her kind. And you don't think that's something special?"

Luna frowned. "If you're trying to make me feel better then you're doing a very pathetic job of it."

"I'm trying to get you out of your stubbornness. What is the good in seeing De Tanga watch the woman who broke his heart marry someone else?" Faithe scolded her.

"I have to go." Luna insisted but didn't offer any sort of an explanation.

"But why?"

"I need to; can't you just leave it at that?" Luna snapped getting very frustrated with her mother's constant grilling.

"You know damn well I can't! Now explain yourself."

Letting a heavy sigh Luna started to explain. "De Tanga doesn't know if he loved Filia. I have to see it. I have to see the look in his eyes when he looks at her."

"What if you see his eyes and you see great regret? That he loves her? What are you going to do?"

"Then I won't date him."

Faithe almost dropped her mug. "You what? No you have to date him! You have to marry him and have his children!" She protested.

"I'm not going to be some woman he dates because he can't date her."

"Luna you knew he had baggage before he came here. You knew that woman broke his heart. There's almost no chance of De Tanga looking at her without seeing some of that regret evident in his eyes. Meaning you aren't going to date him at all! I should have known you'd do this to me." Faithe muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"For the first time you have a chance to have something that could be real and long lasting. So of course you're going to go to that wedding and screw it up. Because deep down you're afraid of being in a committed relationship so subconsciously you're looking for ways to sabotage it. That's why you're going to the wedding. You're just looking for a means to escape." Faithe accused her.

Luna chose not to answer this question as she felt somewhat insulted by her mother's insinuation.

"Am I right? Are you just looking for an excuse to chicken out?"

Luna finished off the rest of her milk and got up. "I'm going back to bed." She announced before leaving the kitchen.

All the way back to her room Luna pondered what her mother had said to her. She had told herself repeatedly since she suggested she go with De Tanga that it was just a test. That she had to see how De Tanga felt about Filia. She hadn't even conceived the notion that she was doing this as a setup to have reason to ultimately reject De Tanga. The idea had seemed ludicrous to Luna. But the more she thought about the more she had to wonder if her mother was right.

Men were things that came and went in Luna's life. Her family member aside most men never stuck around long. They were often scared off by either her or her father. So Luna never had to face the possibility of having a real relationship. When she met De Tanga she felt something different with him. A strange compulsion came over her and she found herself suggesting/announcing that she would date him in 90 days if she still found him interesting. It was a ridiculous suggestion that De Tanga for whatever reason ended up agreeing to.

Back when she suggested it 90 days seemed so far away. A part of her was sure she wouldn't still find him interesting after that length of time. But there she was almost at 90 days and she found him more interesting than ever. Was she really just looking for an excuse to dump him?

As much as Luna's mind was now ablaze with unsettling thoughts the warm milk did its job. Once she hit her pillow she was asleep.

...

_The wedding venue was a lovely setting. The cherry wood pews were decorated in a symphony of white ribbon and pink roses. Light airy music played for those elegantly dressed guests waiting for the wedding to start. Most of the men and woman standing at the altar were unknown to Luna not that she cared much. She was there as a date and a wedding was a wedding. You suffer through a long drawn out ceremony till it's time to eat. _

'_When is this thing going to start?' Luna thought impatiently. The flower girl, rings barer and bridesmaids had all done their part so it was just down to the bride to walk down the aisle. Though it seemed like it was taking forever for that to happen._

_As Luna was really starting to feel annoyed the wedding march finally sounded and he bride appeared being escorted by some random man. He was random because Luna wasn't focusing on him. She like everyone else was watching the bride. _

_Filia was dressed in a large white ball gown wedding dress that looked beautiful on her. The golden dragon looked extremely happy as she made her way down to the aisle._

_Luna couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she watched her. 'She's marrying Beastmaster's general priest. So why do you care if she looks beautiful?' Luna berated herself. She looked up to De Tanga standing at the altar with Xellos. She would have smiled at him but it wasn't Luna he was looking at. No De Tanga's attention was solely at the bride. Now Luna was a little irritated at this, but she let it slide. This was a wedding and Filia was the bride. It was only natural that everyone would be looking at her. _

_As Filia got to the altar she joined hands with her groom waiting for her. Which should have been Xellos but he was standing off to the side._

"_Dearly beloved," the priest began, "we have gathered here today to bear witness to the union of Filia and De Tanga in the holy bonds of matrimony." _

"_What?" Luna stood up feeling hurt and betrayed. "De Tanga what are you doing?" _

"_Luna sit down. I'm marrying Filia, so please don't make a scene." De Tanga stated rather coldly._

"_Wha-what? Why? Why would you do this?" Luna demanded._

"_I love Filia. Not you. And if you can sit down and be quiet then please leave." De Tanga turned back to Filia smiling a mutual smile with her. _

"NOOOOOOOO!" Luna yelled waking up in her bed in a cold sweat. Once she realized where she was Luna felt quite foolish. "You just had to put those stupid ideas in my head didn't you Mom!" Luna cursed as she rolled over in her bed. Not that it matter much, Luna wasn't going to be sleeping anymore that night.

_(Author's Notes: I figured there would be anxiety going on with the wedding so close. Thus Luna and De Tanga's sleepless nights.)_


	22. Chapter 22A

_Author's Notes: Rather than do one part per day for this wedding I've decided to do multiple parts per each of these final days. I could just do three parts, but where's the fun in that? There's still a lot to write and the parts would be too long and not fit in with my schedule. So there may be more parts then I originally projected. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two A, Day Eighty-Eight – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

So there they were, two days before the decision day and only a day away from the wedding. Since there was lots of wedding preparations to be had it was important for De Tanga to arrive the day before the wedding. And since De Tanga was the method from which Luna was going to be getting to the wedding then that meant she would be getting to the wedding early as well.

De Tanga stood impatiently outside the Inverse household/shop for Luna to come outside. He had with him the wrapped wedding gifts for Filia and Xellos as well as his tuxedo and an overnight bag. The bag and the tux weren't particularly heavy but the glasses and wine were which didn't help De Tanga's growing agitation. Luna knew he was outside waiting for her but she was taking forever.

A part of De Tanga wondered if Luna was making him wait so long because she wanted him to suffer or if she was just apprehensive about going. De Tanga himself was feeling nervous about going back to see Filia. After everything that happened he was afraid of who Filia was going to react to him, and how he was going to react to her.

"Alright I'm ready." Luna grumbled coming out of her home. She had many bags that she was juggling herself.

"What is all that?" De Tanga wondered.

"Well we're going to be there for a couple days." Luna huffed readjusting her straps on her shoulder.

"That looks to be enough stuff for at least a month. You can't need that many bags can you?"

Luna glared at him with her lips pressed together in a frown. "I can go right back into my house and you can go to the wedding alone." She threatened him.

For a split second De Tanga considered her suggestion. He didn't want to go the wedding alone but then he also didn't want to make a mistake and ruin things between them. But he also knew that Luna's threat was an idle one. "You'd better not expect me to carry your bags too. I'm already carrying enough. "

"Still bitter you're holding the gifts?"

"It's supposed to be from the both of us." De Tanga justified. And as usual with De Tanga and Luna it wasn't the weight or the task it was the principle.

"He's your best friend and you're his best friend, I'm just your date." Luna retorted rather fluently without really thinking about what she was saying.

"Date huh?" De Tanga mulled over this little tidbit wondering how he should go with it. Should he tease her or let it go.

"Yeah that's what you'll tell anyone who asks. It would be strange to say that I'm your guest and not your date. Especially if I wore that black dress. They'd might think you 'hired' me to go with you." It seemed almost effortless for Luna to shoot back that line but it wasn't. She went into a mini panic the moment the word date slipped of her mouth. Her mind went into a frenzy trying to find a quick explanation to justify what she said.

De Tanga spied the garment bag hanging over Luna's shoulder wondering which dress Luna actually packed.

"It's not the black one." Luna smirked. "Now if you've got your mind out of the gutter we should get going."

"You're bossy for someone who's getting a favour by getting a ride." De Tanga returned her smirk with one of his own.

"And you're a little wuss who does everything I tell you to do. Now it's get this over with!"

De Tanga raised an eyebrow. "You're feeling nervous."

"Well yes I'm going to a wedding of a woman you used to date. Why wouldn't I be nervous?" Luna snapped right away.

"No it's not that. This is something else. You know I've been wondering since our shopping day why you were so dead set against going anywhere by teleportation. But that's it isn't it? You're afraid to be teleported aren't you?"

"Why would you think that?" Luna responded rather defensively.

De Tanga had to smile. "I'm a monster. Maybe you like to pretend to be an ice princess but you're far from being one. I can smell fear a mile away. What are you afraid of? That I might lose you? Or that we might teleport into something solid?"

"I don't like having to rely on someone else for this sort of thing. Too much left to chance." Luna grumbled not happy about having her little secret being exposed.

"I'm not going to let go, or teleport you into or a wall or anything." De Tanga rolled eyes. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He offered his hand out to her, his face full of warm reassurance.

Luna's eyes darted back and forth between De Tanga's hand. It's not that she didn't trust De Tanga; she did, but she couldn't shake that feeling. Yes she was afraid of teleporting. It was like flying with someone else carrying you. They could drop you or you could crash into something and you wouldn't have a chance to save yourself. Timidly Luna took De Tanga's hand.

De Tanga flashed her a smile before they teleported away.

The teleportation was only a second but in that brief amount of time Luna had latched onto De Tanga pretty tightly. Likewise De Tanga had pulled Luna close to him with his one free arm. Had the two not teleported into a busy town square the close proximity of their two faces might have resulted in a different reaction rather than quickly pulling away.

"See that wasn't too bad was it?" De Tanga rubbed the back of his neck trying to brush off the blush creeping up his face.

Luna just mumbled as she readjusted her straps again.

Many of the townspeople talked amongst themselves while staring at Luna and De Tanga. This made De Tanga frown. 'I'm a monster and I just teleported into town, of course they are going to be talking. I guess I've just spent too much time in Zelphilia.' "Good morning!" De Tanga called out while waving.

There were some timid smiles but for the most part everyone scattered ignoring De Tanga and Luna.

"Not the friendliest bunch are they? Shouldn't they be used to monsters with Xellos being around?" Luna wondered while the two of them walked towards the inn.

"Xellos isn't someone people get used to. More likely they would be more leery around monsters because of him." De Tanga explained.

"So I'm assuming the wedding is going to be at that church right there." Luna pointed to the church which was next to the inn. Both areas looked particularly busy with activity with many people moving things around.

"According to the invite it is. Filia and Xellos have rented out the whole inn for the day before, during and after the wedding. I presume the reception is going to be there from the looks of the all the stuff being carted to the back. An outdoor reception perhaps?" De Tanga wondered.

"I wonder who is catering the event. Your master perhaps?"

De Tanga rolled her eyes. "I doubt that."

The outside of the inn may have appeared busy but it wasn't anything compared to the inside. There was all sorts of commotion going on with people coming and going. The front desk was particularly busy with many papers being signed and people waiting to check in.

"No I'm sorry ma'am but the inn is reserved for the wedding. Unless yous part of the wedding you ain't sleeping here tonight." A rather large man with grey skin and an eye patch over eye told a customer at the front of the line. "Next!"

"I've never seen one of his kind before." Luna mumbled to herself.

"His race is from outside the old barrier I believe. But I don't remember seeing him around when I was in town before. I wonder if he was hired to help with the wedding stuff."

"You can find in a moment. We're next."

"Wedding guests only staying at the inn for the next few days. Yous love birds will have to shack up elsewhere." The gray skinned inn desk worker commented. His name tag clearly read the name Gravos.

"Well, Gravos, we are part of the wedding. I'm the best man and this is my date." De Tanga responded motioning to Luna.

Gravos narrowed his one eye at De Tanga. "Best man eh? Hey Jilas!" Gravos called out to a room in the back. "What's the name of the best man?"

A short fox man also sporting an eye patch came out from the back with a clipboard in hand. "Well boss the name of the Xellos' best man is em er some guy named Da Tonga." He read out from the clipboard.

"It's De Tanga." De Tanga corrected him.

"No it says Da Tonga very clearly right here." Jilas showed Gravos so that he could get a look.

"Yup, Jilas is right. Xellos' best man is Da Tonga." Gravos agreed.

"No it's De Tanga! Let me see that!" De Tanga snatched the clipboard from Gravos and Jilas and took a look himself. "That little bugger. Xellos purposely put the wrong name down!" De Tanga fumed. "Listen, my name is De Tanga, and I am Xellos' best man. In fact I'm his best friend so if you go find him and let him know I'm here he'll confirm who I am."

"Yous Xellos' best friend?" Gravos frowned. "Then why haven't we ever met you before?"

"What do you mean by that? I've never seen either of you two around here so why would that matter?" De Tanga shot back very clearly starting to get annoyed. "Get Filia, she can confirm who I am."

"Yous know the boss too? Now I'm really thinking you're lying about being the best man." Gravos crossed his arms across his chest.

"The boss? What are you talking about?"

"Back when Val-boss was in his egg we worked for Filia-boss." Jilas explained. "We worked in her vase and mace shop. But after Val-boss hatched and grew up Filia-boss told us we didn't have to stay in town, that Val-boss would be fine. That it would be good for Val-boss to be on his own for a while. Filia-boss was afraid of his old memories popping up ruining his chance at being happy. So the two of us moved away."

"Yeah but the two of us still come back here pretty regularly." Gravos added. "But we've never seen you around here. So who are you really?"

De Tanga let out a groan.

"What's going on?" Another person joined the commotion at the front desk. He was tall looked to be in his late teens with shoulder length aqua hair. "De Tanga?"

"Val thank goodness! You can confirm who I am!" De Tanga happily exclaimed.

"I'm surprised you're here. After my mom picking the fruitcake over you and your master attacking him I didn't think you'd ever come back."

De Tanga frowned. "Xellos invited me to the wedding. Actually it was more like he told me I was going to the wedding and that I was going to be his best man."

"His name isn't on the list." Jilas handed Val the clipboard.

"Da Tonga." Val shook his head. "Yeah this would be Xellos' doing. Yes he's the best man." Val explained to Gravos and Jilas. "But De Tanga, Xellos has you down for a single bed room. I don't think Xellos expected you to bring a date."

"I didn't give De Tanga the option." Luna piped up feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"Well I hope you two are okay with sharing a room. We don't have any spare rooms or beds so you two will have to bunk together." Val warned them.

"No that's fine, De Tanga will sleep on the floor." Luna decided.

"Excuse me?" De Tanga raised his eyebrow. "Why do you get to decide the sleeping arrangements?"

"You aren't going to make a delicate flower like me sleep on the floor are you?" She batted her eyes flirtatiously despite the bangs shielding them.

"Delicate flower? Ha!" De Tanga laughed while shaking his head before turning back to Val. "So how's the wedding preparation going?"

Val let out a heavy sigh. "A nightmare. I swear Xellos is having this wedding just to piss people off. Half the town wants to kill him."

"What about death threats from outside of town? Xellos marrying a golden dragon must have some of the monsters up in arms."

"If Xellos has gotten any he's hiding it from Mom. Probably wouldn't want to stress her out with it. Not that he isn't stressing her out in other ways."

"How is your mother?" De Tanga asked timidly. He was afraid of how things were after he left things.

"Mom is still denying she's getting married. But she's taken over most of the wedding plans and prep because Xellos keeps purposely messing things up."

"Do you think she's going to go through with it?"

"I keep hoping she'll come to her senses and call it off or leave him at the altar." Val admitted. "But I don't think that's going to happen. Anyway I need to get back to work. Let's talk later okay?"

"Sure." De Tanga gave a nod to the young ancient dragon before he took off. He then turned his attentions back to Gravos. "Now Gravos may we have our room key?"

"I'll get it in a jiffy!" Gravos fished out the room key and handed it to De Tanga. "It's on the third floor, last door on the left."

"Thanks." Before Luna could protest De Tanga put a hand on her shoulder and teleported them upstairs.

"Hey!" Luna snapped angrily. "Just because I let you teleport us to town doesn't mean I'm letting you take me whenever you want!"

"If I want to take you somewhere I'm doing it. So get used to it." De Tanga shot her a mischievous grin before opening the door to their room.

The room was a modest sized one with a very large king size bed taking up most of the room. The floors and furniture were a matching dark cherry and the bed and windows were dressed in crisp white linens.

"I had thought Xellos put us down for one bed because he thought I wasn't serious in bringing someone. But I guess I was wrong. This bed is massive!" He sat down testing the firmness of the mattress. "And comfy too."

"Don't get used to it. You're sleeping on the floor." Luna stated matter-of-factly with not even a hint of joking to her voice.

"What makes you think I'll just obediently sleep on the floor? I just might crawl into bed after you fall asleep." He threatened her.

"Then Xellos would have to find a new best man." She threatened him back.

"You didn't bring your sword. So what would you use to kill me with? A kitchen knife?"

"I can do a lot with just a kitchen knife."

"Yeah except cook in a kitchen."

"I can cook." Luna retorted almost defensively.

De Tanga frowned. True Blitz wasn't really a cook but he had no idea of Luna's culinary talents. "Seeing how I've cooked for you and you haven't for me I wouldn't really know that."

"Too bad. Because you're so mean I'm never going to cook for you." Luna smiled as she started to unload her stuff.

De Tanga rolled his eyes and also went to start unpacking his stuff.

"Are you going to see Xellos?" Luna wondered.

"It would be a good idea to let him know we're here. Would you be okay by yourself?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

De Tanga put on his girliest flirty face and said, "Because you're a delicate flower." He explained in a very high pitched voice.

"That's creepy. Stop it." Luna threw a pillow at him.

De Tanga laughed.

...

After De Tanga and Luna finished unpacking De Tanga went off in search of where Xellos was.

Luna waited till De Tanga was gone for a couple minutes before she left the room herself. She had a particular destination mind, wherever Filia was.

Once downstairs Luna grabbed Jilas away from his work. "Where's Filia?" Luna demanded rudely.

"Ah um! Well Filia-boss... is in the back outside at the moment." Jilas stammered. As usual Luna's charming self left people quivering in their boots.

Luna didn't thank him she just left.

Behind the inn there was large courtyard that was set up with several tables, tents and other various things. People were everywhere moving things, setting up decorations, cleaning surfaces and in the very heart of it was a frazzled looking blond haired woman. Who had a golden dragon's tail poking out from under her pink dress. This couldn't be anyone by Filia Ul Copt.

"No it's supposed to be purple lilies not purple tulips! I specifically ordered lilies last month." Filia explained to the florist who had a lovely assortment of tulips with her.

"Well you did but your fiancé-" The florist started to say.

"Nevermind... Xellos will be lucky if he lives it through till the wedding!" Filia grumbled.

"Killing him might not be such a bad idea." Luna commented as she pushed past all the people surrounding Filia.

Filia let out a gasp. "Miss Luna! I didn't think I'd ever see you again! How lovely you came for the wedding!" Filia smiled clapping her hands until a thought entered her mind that took away that smile. "Unless you're here to stop the wedding! Please tell me you haven't been sent to kill me or Xellos on behalf of your knightly duties?"

Luna darkly chuckled. "My reasons for coming here don't include mass murder. But I'd like to a chance to talk to you alone." She stressed the word alone and glared at everyone in earshot.

Suddenly everyone scattered leaving just Filia and Luna in the center of the courtyard.

"How about we go inside?" Filia suggested. "There's an office room we can use to talk."

Luna nodded in agreement and the two women went back inside the inn.


	23. Chapter 22B

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two B, Day Eighty-Eight – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

While Luna was looking for Filia, De Tanga had managed to track down Xellos.

De Tanga could have asked random people if they knew where Xellos was and most likely those people would no idea or be wrong. Instead De Tanga opted to track down Xellos the old fashioned way, by tracking his astral body. As ironic as it was Xellos was in the woods sitting on his brooding rock. The same rock Xellos went to on many occasions in the past when the monster felt himself stressed due to something Filia related.

"You could be anywhere in the world and this is where you end up with?" De Tanga mused as he approached his oldest friend. "I wonder if Filia knows about this special relationship you have with this rock. I don't think she'd be too happy to find out you're having an affair."

Xellos smiled at De Tanga. "It's about time you arrived. I've been waiting here for a while for you to come."

"What would you have done if I hadn't?"

"I would have kidnapped you of course." Xellos opened his eyes showing his sinister intent. "Why I couldn't have a wedding without a best man."

"So you're saying that I was going to be a part of this wedding whether I want to or not?" De Tanga commented with a smirk as he joined Xellos on the rock.

"You RSVP the invitation. Therefore you were going to come regardless. I would make sure of it."

"I also marked I would be bringing a date, but you gave me a room with only one bed." De Tanga reminded him.

"An extra large bed. The inn keeper wasn't happy with me for that one. He didn't care for the idea of a bed of that size be hoisted up to the third floor." Xellos smiled while taking a sip of his cup of tea. This was strange as Xellos hadn't been drinking anything when De Tanga appeared. Just like their last meeting the tea cup seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

"The bed is nice, but did you really think that if I am brining a date that I would want to share a bed with her?"

"You didn't bring date." Xellos stated very matter-of-factly.

"Pardon me? I marked plus one; I told you very clearly in my RSVP that I was brining a date." De Tanga reminded him once more.

"De Tanga, De Tanga... you know as well I do that you were never going to bring a date. You're a very 'sensitive' person. You've never been in a real relationship before Filia so the likelihood of you getting over my Filia so quickly and to start dating someone is absurd. And bringing that date to a wedding? That is a very serious date indeed." Xellos mused. "There's no way you brought a date."

"I'm not dating her yet." De Tanga mumbled feebly.

Xellos stared at De Tanga with his mouth open in shock. "You actually brought a date?"

"You needn't look so shocked." De Tanga rolled his eyes.

"Who is this woman? Does she know the whole story? Are stringing along some hapless mortal just to save face in front of Filia?" Xellos' eyes lit up with dastardly possibilities.

"She knows everything. And I'm not stringing her along. If anything she may be stringing me along. I didn't want to bring her to the wedding. Hell I wasn't even sure if I was going to come. But she insisted that I was going and she was going with me. And when she makes up her mind about something it's impossible to change it. Why she's the most stubborn woman I've ever met." As De Tanga talked about Luna he couldn't help but think of all the happy and frustrating moments he had with her over those months.

Xellos felt the emotions waving from De Tanga and it almost made him gag. There was only emotion that could be that sickenly sweet and strong. "Love, really? I can't believe it."

De Tanga's eyes went as wide as saucers at Xellos' observation. "What? I never said love, why would you think of that?" He laughed nervously.

"Who is this woman De Tanga? You were in Zelphilia when I last saw you. That city is known for its robust mixture of races. Why I'll bet she's probably an elf."

"She's not an elf." De Tanga answered right away. 'Well she's part elf...' He realized but quickly wrote it off. Luna wasn't even a quarter elf as it was.

Xellos frowned. "A pixie, a dwarf, a fairy?"

De Tanga shook his head. "No."

"You're dating... a mortal?"

"She's human." De Tanga clarified because when it came down to it he didn't know if Luna really was a mortal or not.

"You're in love with a human?" Xellos exclaimed still not quite believing what he was hearing.

"I never said I was in love with her." De Tanga insisted once more.

Xellos ignored this statement and went on with musing. "Well she can't be a normal human so there is probably something special about her. And she's from Zelphilia, so she must be powerful. Let's see is there anyone powerful in town at the moment." Xellos concentrated and was given a shocking fright. "No... it couldn't be... you wouldn't... not with... _her_?"

"Xellos must you always be so over dramatic?" De Tanga rolled his eyes.

"I knew there had to be some reason why you were working at the restaurant and not dead for stepping foot in Zelphilia. You're dating Luna Inverse!" Xellos exclaimed.

"I told you I'm not dating her." De Tanga insisted through clenched teeth.

"Wow I thought I was being bold marrying a golden dragon, but you're dating the knight of Cepheid! I must say I'm impressed old friend." Xellos gave De Tanga a playful nudge.

De Tanga let out an irritated sigh. "I could explain the whole situation but I think it's not going to matter as you're going to believe what you want whether it's the truth or not. I just came to let you know I'm here. Now I'm going to go and find Filia."

"Why?" There was a slight bit of agitation in Xellos voice.

"Because I should talk to her. Even though Val explained thing to her, I need to explain myself. I'd like to think she's not angry at me if she let you invite me to the wedding. But she could be and I need to apologize. So I really do need to talk to her."

"I don't see why you should. Really what good can come of it?" Xellos smiled nervously at De Tanga.

"You don't want me to see Filia." De Tanga realized. "Are you worried that I might make her change her mind about marrying you?"

"Don't be silly. You can't change a mind that hasn't even completely acknowledge that it's made it up."

De Tanga let out a sigh. "Xellos you know I was trying from the start to get the two of you together because of your feelings. I didn't want to develop feelings for Filia but that didn't matter. In the end it was you she chose. I have no intensions of trying to change her mind about you. So you needn't worry about that."

Xellos frowned. "You seem to be thinking rather highly of yourself. If you want to go talk to Filia then do so. It wouldn't matter if you were trying to change her mind, it wouldn't change. She loves me after all."

De Tanga chuckled. "She ought to be if she's marrying you."

...

The office of the inn was rather cluttered with papers and files but Filia and Luna managed to clean off two chairs to sit on.

"So... what did you want to discus Miss Luna?" Filia asked nervously after they had been sitting for a little while.

"The last time I saw you you were trying to find someone to help save the world. And if I remember correctly you had a very particular opinion of monsters." Luna mused with a slight smirk.

"Ah yeah..." Filia mumbled feebly. "I still have those opinions."

"That monsters are evil and cannot be trusted to do anything but be evil and do evil things. Are you still this rigid in your beliefs?"

"No." Filia admitted. "Things have happened that have opened my eyes to other possibilities."

"And that's the reason why you're marrying Xellos." Luna surmised.

"I'm not marry- I mean, in part yes." Filia stumbled over her words. She had been insisting for so long that she wasn't marrying Xellos that it was so natural for her to just blurt it out. But she was marrying Xellos tomorrow, so she had to break off that habit.

"How exactly does one who hates a person from the bottom of their guts go to marrying them? Wasn't he responsible for killing quite a few of your kind?" Luna didn't quite know why she was doing this. All these questions would either just confirm that Filia really want to marry Xellos, or expose any doubts and possibly sabotage the wedding.

"It's a long complicated story... and it involves another monster. Xellos' best friend De Tanga."

Luna frowned. She wanted to know what the golden dragon thought about De Tanga but was afraid to ask. Did she still have feelings for him? Though she was scared Luna had to ask. "De Tanga? As in Deep Sea Dolphin's priest?"

Filia nodded. "Yes Deep Sea's priest. I'm sure you know of him, and that's he's very different from other monsters. Because of his 'unique' role in the war of the monster's fall I talked to De Tanga when he came to me. If it had been any other monster I probably wouldn't have. So I listened to what De Tanga had to say, which was when he purposed an idea to me. A way to get under Xellos' skin. It seemed like a fun idea as Xellos was always bothering me. What I didn't know was that De Tanga had ulterior motives. His plan was to pretend to woo me to get Xellos jealous enough to admit he was in love with me. If I'd known that was the plan I would have never agreed to playing mind games with Xellos' head."

"Why would De Tanga want Xellos to admit his feelings for you? What benefits would that have for him?" Again Luna was poking at the hornet nest that was Filia and De Tanga's past.

"He wanted Xellos to be happy. He was being a selfless friend. But somewhere along the lines of our fake dating things got a little serious between De Tanga and I. I even thought that I might have fallen in love with him." Filia admitted.

Up until that moment Luna felt something building in her throat that was hard and bitter. She tried to swallow it and force back down. It was particularly hard to do that with that revelation from Filia. "Had you loved him?"

Filia was quiet and still for a moment as she pondered Luna's question. Eventually she came to a conclusion, she shook her head. "At the time I wasn't sure, but when I think back to how I acted, too much of my thoughts and reactions were tied to Xellos. Even with my best moments when De Tanga I was often thinking about Xellos. I don't think you should be doing that when you're with someone you're supposed to be in love with."

"How do you think you'll feel seeing him again?" Again more poking from Luna.

"I know Xellos invited him and made De Tanga his best man. But honestly I doubt De Tanga will come. Things didn't end well. I'm sure he thinks I hate him." Filia sighed.

"Do you?"

"He deceived me, even though it was for a good reason, it was still deceit. But if it weren't for him I wouldn't be getting married. Whether that is a good thing or not time will tell but I can't really stay mad at De Tanga. I just hope he's okay, and that he finds happiness of his own." Filia said very honestly.

From the other side of the door De Tanga listened in to Filia and Luna's conversation. He hadn't been there long to hear the whole conversation but long enough to hear who the topic of conversation was. It was very surprising to him that Luna would be talking to Filia, but given the delicate situation it wasn't completely left field for Luna to size up her competition. De Tanga was very timid bringing his knuckle to the door to knock. The first few knocks were so light you couldn't hear it. With more resolve De Tanga knocked harder.

"Who is it?" Filia called out from inside the office.

"It's the best man." De Tanga answered.

Inside the office De Tanga could a loud gasp. Clearly this visit wasn't expected. Deciding this was an okay to come in, De Tanga entered.

De Tanga wasn't sure how he was going to feel when he saw Filia for the first time after all those months. And to make matters worse Luna was in the room. He was so deathly afraid of doing the wrong thing that he felt himself holding his breath as he opened that door. This first thing De Tanga saw when he opened that door was a pair of blue eyes staring at him. Those sparkly blue eyes had gotten De Tanga lost in on more than one occasion. But De Tanga wasn't lost this time; those blue eyes didn't sparkle though they reflected the golden dragon's confusion and surprise.

"De Tanga... you came...?" Filia said more to herself than to him.

De Tanga did detect a hint of confliction in Filia but not what you'd expect from a woman who thought she was marrying the wrong man. This was a good thing; as De Tanga wasn't feeling a strong sense of regret either. If anything he felt relieved. "I RSVP the invitation. And as Xellos just told me I had no choice, I was going to be coming whether I wanted to or not."

Luna watched the interactions between the monster and the golden dragon very closely. She had expected to see some sort of an explosive reaction. But instead she just saw awkwardness. "Well I guess you two would want to catch up. So I'll see you both later." Luna excused herself from the room.

De Tanga flashed her a weak smile as Luna left the office. He then turned his attentions back to Filia.

After Luna left the office she knew that she should go, that she shouldn't linger and listen in. But she just couldn't bring herself to walk away. So even though she was on the other side of the door, Luna had an ear pressed to it in an attempt to listen in to Filia and De Tanga's conversation.


	24. Chapter 22C

_Author's Notes: Okay my original projection for the length of this fic is waaaaay off. It's going to take several parts to get through these final days. I suppose I could just skip forward several hours but I feel like I can't skip through details. Which is somewhat painful as it's hard to write minute by minute timeline in fanfics. So needless to say I've struggled a bit with this part. But that could also be because I'm been very tired and my muscles have been sore. Oh well it's finished, and to be honest I couldn't concentrate enough to do a proper read over, so there might be grammar errors. I apologize in advance._

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two C, Day Eighty-Eight – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

"So just how mad are you at me?" De Tanga asked while sitting himself down. He had wondered many times over the past few months of Filia's thoughts and feelings on what had happened.

"Well how mad should I be? You breezed your way into town with a lovely idea to screw with Xellos' head but really you were playing games with my head. Really I should be furious with you. You lied to me repeatedly. You got me kidnapped and Xellos almost killed."

"Should be? Does that mean you're not mad?" De Tanga asked in a small hopeful voice.

"You're lucky I'm so forgiving."

"But you aren't forgiving..." De Tanga mused contemplatively.

Filia glared at him. "Don't push your luck."

"I know... I really am lucky you're even talking to me. I wasn't sure if you would react after everything. I hope you know I'm sorry for everything." De Tanga apologized.

"I may not have agreed with your methods but I can see why you did it. You wanted your friend to be happy. And for whatever reason you chose to drag me into it."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "Come now Filia, I didn't 'choose' you. If anything he did. I just helped things along."

"Well I'm not mad just so you know. Everything worked out in a strange way." It was very unlikely that Filia could have stayed mad at De Tanga anyway. Xellos could have gotten killed and if he was willing to forgive De Tanga then Filia had to. For Xellos to be more forgiving than her would have been a massive insult.

"Yes it did." De Tanga mused while smiling. "I must say I was shocked to find out you're marrying Xellos."

"What? You're the one that was trying to set us up! How can you not believe it?" Even while seated you could still see Filia's dragon tail poke out from under her dress.

"I know, but you two are stubborn. I figured it would be years before you'd get to this point. When did Xellos purpose?"

"It was right after he woke up." Filia's voice was oddly quiet and soft which was a big contrast to her yelling just a moment ago.

"You mean after his fight with my master? What would provoke him to do that for?"

If Filia hadn't been acting meek before she was now. "I might have told him I would only marry him if he told me he loved me."

De Tanga's eyes were extremely wide. "Why would you do that for?"

"I never thought he would!" Filia protested defensively.

"So he conned you into marrying him?"

Outside the door Luna frowned. This little piece of information didn't sit well with the monster Slayers.

"...yes..." Filia mumbled.

"How do you feel about marrying him?"

"I hate it. I can't stand the idea that I'm sullying my morals to marry such an incorrigible beast." Again Filia's tail shot out as she went on with her rant. "And that smug bastard thinks he can do whatever he wants and he'll still get what he wants!"

Luna's frown was now a full out glare as she gripped the doorframe rightly. Any person who walked by might have been frightened by the aura of anger surrounding the purple haired woman.

If you were listening to Filia's words you might have been thought Filia was a victim roped into a shame marriage. But De Tanga knew better. There was more to this than Filia's anger. He could sense it. "So you don't want to marry him?"

"Who would want to marry such a repugnant creature?"

"If you don't want to marry him then call off the wedding." De Tanga stated very simply.

Filia looked at him in complete shock and horror. "No! I can't do that!"

"Why not? I doubt anyone in town would blame you for calling off the wedding. In fact I'm sure there are many hoping you do leave him." De Tanga rationalized.

"I can't... because..." Filia's voice trailed off.

"Because...?" De Tanga prompted her.

"...because... I want to marry him." Filia's voice was so soft you almost couldn't hear it.

"But he's a beast. And an incorrigible and repugnant one at that. You said so yourself. So why would you want to marry him for?"

"..." Filia couldn't answer the truth was just too hard to say.

"Filia?"

"...because..." Filia's voice trailed off once more.

"Because why?" He prompted her again.

"...because..." Filia was really starting to turn into a broken record.

"Because you love that incorrigible beast, that's why." De Tanga finished off rather proud of himself.

"If you knew the answer why the hell did you have to drag it out of me?" Filia spat out venomously.

De Tanga let out a throaty laugh. "I may not feed on negative emotions but I still like to tease."

Outside the door Luna let out a sigh of relief. Though she was still pretty confident that De Tanga felt more strongly for her than Filia she had been worried about how Filia was feeling. It didn't matter how much progress De Tanga might have made the past few months, if Filia was feeling unsure about the wedding this might have caused De Tanga to relapse.

Back inside the office Filia's irritation had subsided. "How are you feeling about the wedding?" Filia asked very timidly. This was a question Filia had wanted to ask since Xellos 'purposed' to her. Val had told her everything, including De Tanga's feelings. It had shocked the hell out of her. She knew there was a game going on, and she knew there were feelings starting to develop but she hadn't been expecting that. It had been quite confusing for Filia. But it didn't change how things between her and Xellos. Though that had been one of the reasons why Val told Filia the truth, he had been hoping that it would change Filia's mind and make her not marry Xellos. "Val told me everything. Including that he thought you were in love with me."

De Tanga. "I had wondered if it was love. I had never been in love before. Or been in a relationship serious enough for it to be love. But how do I feel about the wedding...? To be honest I'm still not sure. After the fight I was very depressed. I felt like a horrible person for not doing anything to stop my master. I wasn't sure if those wounds she had inflicted on Xellos would kill him. I felt horrible."

"You've obviously recovered." Filia commented.

"Yeah well that's kinda a complicated story. While I was feeling sorry for myself my Master had decided to appoint a new mission to me. She didn't tell me what it was. All she said was that I have a mission and she sent me off."

"Where did she send you to?"

"Zelphilia."

Filia blinked in confusion. "Zelphilia? That's Miss Lina's hometown. And... Miss Luna's..." A thought dawned on Filia. "Miss Luna is here with you isn't she?" The look on Filia's face was a bit of combination of emotions. Shock was the most present, confusion after that but there was a bit of disappointment.

De Tanga wasn't sure what to make of Filia's emotions at the moment. Of course Filia could just be disappointed that De Tanga could get 'over' her so quickly. He was afraid of how to answer Filia's question, but at the same time he didn't want to lie to her. "Yes she did come here with me. She's my plus one."

It didn't matter if Filia had been feeling a million things before that moment, now only surprise remained. Luna Inverse had quite a reputation especially with her dislike of monsters. "Are you... dating her?"

De Tanga let out a heavy sigh. "...no..."

Filia noted that De Tanga didn't seem happy with his own answer to the question. "Do you want to date her?"

"Luna is an impossible woman. She's strong willed, stubborn, pigheaded and never backs down in a fight. She thinks very high of herself and bosses people around like she owns the world. And her father, who is tall and scary looking, tried to kill me when I first met him." De Tanga explained with his voice brimming with annoyance. "I wasn't even sure I was going to come to the wedding, but Luna decided I was going and she was coming with me. She never lets you have a say in things. It's her way or nothing."

If you didn't know De Tanga well enough you might assume he was unhappy with being 'stuck' with Luna. But just like De Tanga knew that Filia's words had hidden subtext Filia knew there was more to this than De Tanga's complaints. "So you desperately want to date her." Filia stated this rather than ask.

"...yes..." De Tanga mumbled very feebly.

Filia wasn't sure if she should laugh or frown. She was of course happy that De Tanga found someone, but it still stung a little for him to be over her that fast. So Filia went in-between smiled a half smile. "Sounds like you really like her."

"You have no idea. She drives me crazy. She's rude and bosses me around all the time. It's like she assumes that if she orders me to do something that I'm incapable of refusing to follow them. And you know what she's right. I keep verbally protesting everything but I still end up doing it. It's not that she's manipulative, I just can't refuse her. I get so frustrated with her that I want to pull out my hair, but I can't stay away from her. She's like this drug that I'm hooked on." De Tanga explained miserably.

"You don't like her, you love her." Again Filia was stating rather than asking.

Outside the door Luna wasn't even sure she heard Filia correctly. 'Did she just suggest that De Tanga loves me?' Of course this wasn't a completely foreign thought to Luna. She knew there was connection between the two of them, and she did care for him more then she probably should have. But to even consider that things had become that serious and they hadn't even really started dating yet was strange to the monster slayer. Luna unconsciously bit her bottom lip as she tried to listen more closely.

De Tanga stared at Filia with a look a pure confusion. "I... never said... _that_."

Filia rolled her eyes. "You might as well have."

De Tanga frowned. Xellos had also pointed out that De Tanga was 'in love' with Luna. And Faithe over the almost three months De Tanga was in Zelphilia made comments about De Tanga being in love with Luna. It was kinda strange to have so many people around you sure of something about yourself that you weren't even sure of. "I'm not sure of that myself." De Tanga admitted. "Though it seems to be that everyone else is."

"You know it better than anyone; people in love often don't know they are in love. But it's very easy for those around to see it. It's more likely that if you don't love Miss Luna yet you will eventually soon." Filia rationalized.

"Does that... bother you?" De Tanga knew he shouldn't ask that question, but he had to know. A small part of him wanted Filia to be upset with him. To realize what she missed out on and lament that fact. Of course this was crazy; he was 'pursuing' Luna and had brought her to the wedding as his date. Why would he want Filia to admit she still had feelings for him? But try and he may he couldn't silence that small part of him.

Outside the door Luna was in shock. 'Why is he asking her that?' This is exactly the type of thing Luna had feared. 'What is he trying to do? Stop the wedding?' Luna's mind was racing with a thousand thoughts and much profanity.

Back inside in the office Filia was frowning. She pondered De Tanga's question debating on what would be good response to a potentially delicate situation. "I... don't know. I know I'm marrying Xellos tomorrow but a part of me feels a little... I don't know... replaceable? I mean I want you to be happy, I really do... but it feels a little strange to have you 'over me' so soon. I guess we all like to think we make such a strong impact on people that breaking up with them would cause them to be upset for an extended period of time. I had it in my mind this whole time that you were probably somewhere upset that Xellos 'won' me over rather than you. I guess I didn't expect you to be dating someone so soon."

"We're not dating. Luna stated right from the start that she didn't want to be a rebound. She said that I had to work for her at her restaurant for 90 days and after that she would decide if she's still interested enough in me to date." De Tanga explained.

"When is your last day?"

"Tomorrow. After tomorrow she decides."

"But De Tanga she's date for the wedding. That goes against your agreement. And taking a date to a wedding is a serious date."

"I wasn't sure about coming to the wedding. I had voiced some of trepidation when I probably shouldn't have. Luna decided for us that I was going and she was coming with me. She makes excuses and acts all cold but deep down I think Luna just cares more than she lets on. She knew I had to go and she didn't want me to go alone."

"Sounds like she cares for you a lot. Have you kissed her yet?"

De Tanga shook his head. "I've held her a couple times... but no kissing."

"Not yet at least." Filia sighed.

"Filia I'm sorry that 'relationship' with Luna makes you feel insignificant. Honestly if it had been anyone else who waltzed into my life after what happened then I doubt I'd be in this situation. But Luna didn't give me a choice. She decided that she was going to snap me out of my depression whether I wanted to or not. You are a wonderful woman and Xellos is a lucky bastard to have you put up with him. You aren't reconsidering marrying him are you?"

"No of course not." Though Filia wanted to believe that statement of hers was completely true, but it wasn't. A small voice in the back of her head rebelled against the idea of marrying Xellos, and after talking with De Tanga that voice got louder.


	25. Chapter 22D

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two D, Day Eighty-Eight – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

Outside the office Luna frowned. Even though Filia confirmed that she still wanted to marry Xellos, Luna still wasn't like where this conversation was heading.

Xellos smiled as he walked down the halls of the inn. After De Tanga left Xellos decided to follow him from a distance. But De Tanga was spending so much time in one room Xellos had to get closer to investigate. What he found was Luna Inverse the famed monster slayer and head waitress of 'The Devil's Spoon' standing in the hall listening outside the very door of the room De Tanga was in. 'This is amusing.' He stalked closer and closer towards Luna, marvelling at the fact that the purple haired woman failed to notice his presence.

If Luna had been in a proper frame of mind she would have noticed Xellos right away. But because she was preoccupied she didn't realize he was in the hall with her.

Xellos inched over so close to Luna until he was standing right behind her. He lowered his face right next to her ear that wasn't pressed up against the door. "Listening in on other people's conversations isn't a nice thing to do." He whispered.

Luna jumped and went to reach for her sword to slash the owner of the offending whisper. But of course it was hard to attack something with a sword when you didn't have said sword strapped to your back. It was a gut reaction that Luna almost cursed when she remembered her sword wasn't with her. So she found herself trying to hit the offending voice with her fist.

Xellos of course avoided this attack. "Now now that's not very nice to do. Especially when it's the groom to be of the wedding you're attending tomorrow." He chided her waving his finger in the air.

Luna had a strong urge to snap off said finger. But she refrained. In part that was because she was once again struck by the oddness of Xellos' appearance. This was only the second time Luna had come face to face with Greater Beast Zellas' general priest. One thought had crossed Luna's mind the last time she saw Xellos, that part of the reason why De Tanga was interested in her because she looked like Xellos. That it wasn't losing Filia to Xellos that bothered Deep Sea Dolphin's priest but losing Xellos to Filia. That deep down De Tanga was really in love with Xellos. This thought bothered Luna quite a bit. She didn't have anything against same sex relationships but it was never nice to think of a potential boyfriend being hung up on a guy.

Xellos could sense the odd emotions emanating from her and it confused him. 'Why is she looking at me so strangely?'

"Sneaking up on me was a very dangerous thing to do." Luna finally retorted shaking off the weirdness that had been gripping her.

"Given your reputation and our last run in I really shouldn't have been able to get that close in the first place." Xellos mused with a smug smile on his face. "Or has dating a monster made you unable to sense them?"

Luna glared at him. "I'm not dating De Tanga." She said through gritted teeth.

"Really? I don't remember putting your name on the invite list. So you have to be here as his date, that by definition alone means you are dating him. Unless you came with someone else?" Xellos mocked her.

"You know damn well I came with him. Did you really think he was going to come here alone?" Luna shot back rather quickly.

"My how protective you must be over him. But then again you chose to spare his life when he entered your home and usually you kill monsters for that action." Xellos observed.

"I had my reasons. If I didn't you would have been killed when you popped into my restaurant."

"If memory serves me you tried to. And it was our dear friend De Tanga that stopped you. Now why would you take orders from a monster?" Xellos tapped his chin in thought.

"Would you like me kill you right now to make up for not doing it before?" Luna threatened him.

"Oh but if you did that who would marry Filia tomorrow?"

Luna let out a dark chuckle. "Oh so that's why you're here. You're afraid Filia is going to realize the mistake she made by picking you. And you're harassing me to try and keep your mind off the fact that your best friend is potentially changing your fiancé's mind about marrying you."

Xellos' smile became strained. "Sadly you don't know my Filia too well. She's not going to change her mind."

"From the conversation I heard I wouldn't be so sure about that." Luna shot back.

"Oh really? What pray tell did you happen to hear?"

"I can't tell you that. Because listening in on other people's conversation isn't a nice thing to do."

...

While Xellos and Luna were arguing Filia and De Tanga had moved onto other topics.

"You're master... She's a strange one." Filia commented thinking back to her last meeting with the monster lord.

"Yeah. She's been like that as long as I can remember. I can't believe she kidnapped you and tried to kill Xellos." De Tanga replied guiltily. He knew he couldn't blame his master for what she did. If he hadn't gotten so upset she wouldn't have done it in the first place.

"The way she talked... She's very protective over you isn't she? Is she like that with all her minions?"

De Tanga shook his head. "No not really. If someone killed or tried to kill one of her minions I know she would retaliate. As monsters are possessive over what is theirs. But as she has said many times, I'm her favourite."

Filia frowned. "The way she talked about you... It's almost as though she was referring to you as her son."

Now it was De Tanga's turn to frown. "What are you getting at?"

"Do you know who your mother is?"

"No... my master isn't my birth mother. She couldn't be." De Tanga shook his head. It didn't make sense to him.

"You've never considered that possibility before?"

"I never considered it because it just isn't plausible. For her to be my mother she would have given birth to me. And for a female monster lord to create a minion in such a way would be a dangerous thing for her. I can't see her putting herself in such a vulnerable position just to create a minion." De Tanga rationalized.

"Well perhaps it wasn't a planned pregnancy." Filia suggested.

"Even still I would have heard something about it after the fact."

"Regardless of what the situation was I think she thinks of herself as a surrogate mother to you."

"That is most likely true. Even though she is crazy and completely random I am happy to have her as a master. Things could have always been worse."

Filia had another comment to make but a disturbing feeling stuck her thoughts cold. "I think it's outside the door." Filia commented while frowning.

"It?" De Tanga questioned Filia's comment while frowning in confusion.

"Xellos. I feel an evil presence nearby." Filia shuddered.

"Do you really want to be married to someone who gives you the heebie-jeebies every time he's near?" De Tanga joked with a laugh.

Filia just rolled her eyes. "What is he doing out there anyway?"

"I talked to him before I came here. He won't admit it but I think he's worried I'm going to sway you away from him."

Filia chuckled. "Should I go out there and tell him the wedding is off?"

"What and tell him that you're marrying me instead?"

Filia nodded while laughing.

"No you can't do that!" De Tanga insisted.

"You said it yourself there's a lot of people that are hoping that I don't marry Xellos. So really I'd just be doing what they want." Filia explained her point.

"No you aren't for several reasons. One of those being that you want to marry him. And even it's a joke you might piss some people off. What about those that travelled a long way to get here? They might get mad at you."

Filia rolled her eyes. "Fine. Though there aren't too many people come from afar. Just four people."

...

"You know I bet this is just some sick joke." Lina muttered as she and her three travelling companions entered Filia's town. She was of course with Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Yeah I'll say. I can't see someone like Filia actually lowering herself to a level where she would be fine with marrying a monster like Xellos." Zelgadis agreed with Lina. "I'll bet Xellos just sent out those invitations just to piss Filia off."

"But it was Miss Filia's handwriting in the invitations!" Amelia protested.

"Do you really think Filia would want to marry Xellos?" Zelgadis rolled her eyes.

"Yeah those two fight like cats and dogs. It's hard to imagine them ever together." Gourry added agreeing with Zelgadis.

"You don't think Mister Xellos is forcing Miss Filia to marry him?" Amelia gasped in horror. "What if he's threatening to kill her if she doesn't marry him?"

"Why would a member of the monster race want to force the last known remaining golden dragon into marrying them?" Lina scoffed at the idea.

"Maybe he's being ordered into marrying Filia." Gourry suggested.

"Why would Greater Beast Zellas want her general priest to marry a golden dragon?" Zelgadis wondered.

"They would have some powerful children." Gourry explained.

"Well even if that were true, it still wouldn't explain why Filia would agree to it. Even if Filia was being threatened into marrying Xellos for the reason of powerful offspring I highly doubt she would want to sleep with him."

"Maybe baby Val's life is at stake!" Amelia exclaimed. "Maybe he's being held for ransom!"

"Baby Val isn't a baby." Zelgadis corrected her. "Last I heard he's a fully grown teenager."

"But he's not that old!" Amelia protested.

"It's going to be weird seeing him after what happened the last time." Lina frowned thinking back to when she last saw Val. He was Valgaav then and trying to destroy the world. Not very happy memories to say the least.

"I'm sure with Miss Filia raising him Mister Valgaav is a nice good hearted person who is a champion of justice!" Amelia pointed to the sky in her typical fanfare.

Lina rolled her eyes at Amelia's display but deep down she somewhat agreed with the Sailune princess. Val had to be a different person with Filia around as his 'mother'. 'I should stop worrying about that. I'm sure everything is fine.' Though she told herself this it didn't help the growing uneasiness in her stomach. She was feeling dread and the further they got into town the more it seemed to build. 'Why am I feeling so horrible?'

...

Xellos grinned as he sensed who just happened to come into town. "Ah so they made it after all."

Luna raised an eyebrow (not you could see it). "To whom are you referring to?"

"Some traveling companions of mine. One of which you know quite well." Xellos was greatly amused by this fact.

By Xellos' playful tone Luna had a feeling she knew exactly who he was talking about. "Are you going to greet them?"

"I suppose I must. It is my duty as a host to greet my guests."

"Do me a favour; don't tell her I'm here. I want to see her terror in person."

"Hmm..." Xellos tapped his chin in thought. "That would get the maximum result from her. I'll look forward to that." And with that Xellos was off to 'greet' the others.

Again alone in the hall Luna went to put her ear back to the door when Val came storming through.

"Where is she?" Val muttered to himself as he looked around. "Um..." Val looked at Luna realizing he either didn't know her name or had forgotten it which made things a tad awkward for the young ancient dragon. "Do you know where my mother is?"

"She's in this room talking with De Tanga. And it's Luna." There was just a slight edge to her voice.

"Right. You came with De Tanga. Well I guess I should let them talk. I'm sure I can handle things without her."

"What did you need help with?"

"It's nothing I can't handle I suppose. It's just we're having some issues with the waiting staff for the wedding. The schedule is a bit of a mess because one of the waiters quit last minute. And some of them have never waited tables before. Of course I don't find out about this until just a moment ago." Val let out a heavy sigh. "I'll figure it out I guess. I probably shouldn't be bothering my mother about these things."

Luna wasn't one to offer help to just anyone. Usually she would rather watch people fumble along stupidly while she sat there and watched. But any potential hiccup with the wedding could cause tension for the bride to be and ultimately call off the wedding. Plus waiting staff issues were a piece of cake. "Okay let's go. I'll deal with the staff."

"Are you sure? I mean have you ever worked in a restaurant before?" Val wondered.

"I own one. So just give me a couple minutes with your whimpy staff. By the end up of it I'll have them either ready or fleeing with tears in their eyes." There was a glint of sinister joy in Luna's eyes. She did love to make people cry.

"Why would you want them to cry and run?"

"You always have to weed out the stupid and pathetic ones. We're going, now!" Luna grabbed Val by the arm and dragged him along with her.

Val knew next to nothing about Luna Inverse. And a part of him didn't want to know anything about her, as she already frightened him.

_(Author's Notes: It's my general rule of thumb that when I write a fic that is mostly Xellos/Filia that I don't include Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia in the story. Though this story is Luna/De Tanga centric because it's a sequel to 'Mind Games' the same rule should apply. The reason behind this rule is because I don't wish to alienate my readers that prefer for 'cannon' pairings. As I don't like 'cannon' pairings in Slayers. I'm breaking my rule this time, however just so I don't alienate anyone there will not be any Lina/Gourry, Lina/Zelgadis, Amelia/Zelgadis or any other possible combination involving those four characters. Sorry if this disappoints anyone.)_


	26. Chapter 22E

_Author's Notes: I wrote most of this when I was very sleep deprived. So if I missed errors or it doesn't flow very well then you can blame that on lack of sleep. (1 hour of sleep in 34 hours) _

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two E, Day Eighty-Eight – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

While Luna helped Val whip the waiting staff into shape Lina and company went to the inn to check in.

"Wow's it's busy in here!" Gourry exclaimed as the four of them entered the inn.

"And look whose manning the check in desk." Zelgadis commented dryly motioning to the large man at the desk.

"It's Mister Gravos! Hello!" Amelia waved excited trying to get the gray skinned man's attention.

Gravos looked up and saw the group of four. He somewhat shuddered and went to tending to the guests.

"Well that wasn't very friendly." Amelia pouted putting her hands on her hips.

"Well given that the last time he saw us he was almost blasted off into space it's not too surprising that he's not thrilled to see us." Lina mused.

Zelgadis nodded in agreement. "He's actually lucky to be alive."

"May as well get in line. We're going to be in for a wait with all these people ahead of us." Lina yawned while stretching some of the kinks out of her muscles.

Xellos at that moment decided to phase into the room sporting a very welcoming smile. This probably would have been a nice smile to greet someone with had it been on a different face. But since it belonged to Xellos it was hard for it to be anything but suspicious. "Ah so good of you all to make it, my dear friends!"

"We're not your friends you fruitcake." Zelgadis right away snapped.

"Neh, Zelgadis you're so mean!" Xellos mock whined.

"Yes Mister Zelgadis that's not very nice!" Amelia agreed scolding Zelgadis. "He invited us to come to his wedding. We should be kind and grateful."

"Why thank you Amelia." Xellos smiled at Amelia and stuck out his tongue out at Zelgadis.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "That's assuming this wedding is even real."

"Of course it's real!" Xellos feigned offence. "Why else would I have sent out so many invitations?"

"As a big sick joke." Zelgadis retorted rather dryly.

"Come now is it so hard to believe that Filia would marry me?"

Almost everyone in the room collectively yelled out the word 'yes' at the same time.

"Hmmp! Well I'll have you know I am marrying Filia tomorrow. And you can even ask her yourself." Xellos dared them.

"Oh we intend to." Lina assured him. "But first we're going to check in. You better not have arranged something screwy with the rooms."

"Oh my Miss Lina do you really think I would do such a thing?" Despite the sugariness of his voice Xellos' devious smile plastered to his face didn't inspire confidence.

All four travelers collectively groaned. Now they were sure something was wrong with the rooms.

"If you aren't here for the wedding then you're going to have to go someplace else! NEXT!" Gravos boomed sending away another disgruntled customer.

"I'll bet he didn't even arrange a room for us." Zelgadis groaned.

"We're going to be stuck sleeping in the streets!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I want to sleep on a bed!" Gourry also whined. The trip to town hadn't been a nice one. They had to camp out several times and there was a lot of rain to contend with. Creature comforts like warm dry beds were something all four of them wanted Gourry especially. He'd gotten next to no sleep and was almost walking around like a zombie.

Lina was going to say something when she got that odd feeling again. 'Something isn't right here. There's something very very wrong.'

"Lina what's wrong? You look a little pale." Zelgadis observed.

Lina frowned. "It's probably nothing." She waved it off with a forced smile.

"You look afraid." Zelgadis mused. "But this whole monster/golden dragon wedding does sound like a disaster in the making. It's just as well that I sharpened my blade."

"You don't think there's going to be any attacks do you?" Amelia wondered out loud.

"Oh probably someone will either try to kill Xellos or Filia." Lina commented nonchalantly.

"Miss Lina! How can you be so calm about that?" Amelia protested.

"We were you really expecting everything to go on without a little assassin attempt?" Lina dared her.

"That's okay since we're here right? We'll keep things under control." Gourry smiled confidently.

"Yes I'm sure you'll all do a fine job." Xellos agreed.

"Oh no we're not going to do a thing unless you pay us." Lina said right away. "Otherwise we're just going to sit and watch."

"Miss Lina! You can't honestly mean to stand by while some dastardly fiend tries to kill Mister Xellos and Miss Filia do you?" Amelia of course had to protest.

"Oh we'll protect Filia of course." Lina assured the princess. "But not Xellos. They can kill him all they want."

Xellos sprouted a sweatdrop. "Your generosity is rather heart warming."

"NEXT!" Gravos yelled trying to get the foursome's attention. It was their turn.

"Hi Gravos!" Lina greeted him with a smile. "How are you?"

Gravos narrowed his one eye at her. "As well as I can be given that da boss is marrying that thing." He sneered glaring at Xellos.

"So Miss Filia really is marrying Mister Xellos?" Amelia exclaimed in pure shock.

"Yeah." Gravos mumbled not really sure of it himself.

"See? I told you she was marrying me." Xellos stated in an 'I told you so' sort of a voice.

"Why is Filia marrying Xellos anyway?" Zelgadis wondered.

"Darned if I know. It's not like her that's for sure." Gravos admitted.

"Is she being threatened into marrying him?"

Xellos frowned at Amelia comment. "I would never threaten my dear Filia into doing anything like that!"

Though Xellos stated this quite forcefully four sets of eyes looked to Gravos' one eye for the truth.

"If da boss is being threatened she ain't telling." Gravos somewhat confirmed Xellos' statement. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she's under some sort of a love spell. Her marrying Xellos is just so wrong on so many levels."

"Mister Xellos you should never put a person under a love spell!" Amelia scolded the monster priest. "One should only walk the path of marriage under the rapture of true unconditional love! To do so with falsified affections is unjust! You cannot force someone to love you no matter how evil or unlovable you are! Have faith that someone will overlook your flaws enough to love you. You maybe be vile, deceiving, annoying, and an evil monster but that doesn't mean you have to force someone to love and marry you!"

The smile that had been on Xellos' face became strained through Amelia's little triad. "Do you really think I would need to put Filia under a love spell to get her to marry me?"

Just as before when Xellos posed such a question most of the people in the room responded in a collective 'yes'. This caused the monster priest to frown.

"Anyway," Lina went to change the subject, "Gravos we'd like to check in before we grill Filia about the wedding."

"Let's see." Gravos went through the list of rooms Xellos had assigned for guests. "You're not on this list." He frowned going over the papers a few time.

"Oh my did I forget to book your rooms for you? How silly of me!" Xellos smiled sheepishly.

The four weary travelers all sighed.

"I'll check da bosses list. Yup here you are!" Gravos found Lina and company's names.

Xellos frowned. "Filia has her own list?"

Gravos glared at him. "Da boss made to fix some of the 'mistakes' you made." He sneered before producing two keys for Lina and company. "Da boss has got you four down for two rooms. I hope that's good since we don't have anything else free."

"Thanks Gravos, we'll see you later." Lina grabbed the two keys from him.

"Make sure if it's a love spell that's making the da boss be stupid enough to marry Xellos that you break it. Or talk some sense into her!" Gravos called out as Lina and company went up the stairs.

"We will!" Lina called back.

Xellos just frowned. "You do realize I'm still standing here." He glared at Gravos.

Gravos just ignored the monster and went to helping the next guest.

...

It didn't take long for Luna to have all the schedules worked out for the waiting staff and to make sure everyone knew what they were doing. Two ran away in tears but Luna was confident that remaining waiter/waitresses could handle things.

Val was both shocked and frightened by how Luna handled things. She was rude, forceful, and bossy but she knew what she was doing. It was very clear to the young ancient dragon that Luna knew her way around a restaurant. And it was also clear to him that you didn't want Luna Inverse as an enemy.

"So how do you know De Tanga?" Val asked once the staff was dismissed.

"He works for me at my restaurant." Luna explained.

"So you're his boss... and his date?" Val looked a little puzzled as he thought over these facts.

"Yes."

"Are you two... a couple?"

Luna frowned not quite sure how to properly answer this question. "He works for me." Luna clarified though her explanation was as clear as mud.

"So I guess that means you're not...?" Val prompted still wanting Luna to define her relationship with De Tanga.

"Why does that matter?" Luna huffed defensively.

"Since Mom picked... _Xellos_ I was wondering if he was seeing anyone."

"You were hoping that he could get her to change her mind." Luna pointed out.

"Well I want Mom to be happy... just with someone else. And of course I want De Tanga to be happy. I would just prefer the two of them were happy with each other."

Luna frowned some more. "She's marrying Xellos." She stated rather sternly.

"Would it be so bad if she married De Tanga instead?"

"Yes!" Luna snapped right away. The moment she said it she could have kicked herself. It sounded so adamant and forced with no self control at all.

Now it was Val's turn to frown. "You're not a couple... but you're something..." Val observed seeing the error in his previous question.

"He works for me." Again Luna clarified.

"Who are you again?"

"Luna Inverse."

"You're related to Lina Inverse right?"

Luna nodded. "She's my little sister."

Val mulled over this piece of information as stories Filia told him about the battle against Dark Star came to mind. He knew that Luna Inverse was the 'Knight of Cepheid' and was Filia's first choice to save the world from that dark prophecy. That Luna Inverse was a very powerful person able to kill strong enemies with common items such as kitchen knives. Filia had also told Val about Luna's reputation of being the 'monster slayer'. That reputation was part of the reason why Filia had sought out Luna in the first place. "My mother told me about you... You don't like monsters."

"Neither does your mother and she's marrying one tomorrow." Luna snapped rather quickly.

"Well if the two of you are 'something' then I guess that's a good thing. He doesn't seem as bad as I was expecting him to be."

"He was a mess when I met him." Luna admitted. "Any other monster I probably would have killed him right on the spot. I took pity on him because he was so depressed."

"You obviously turned him around." Val observed. "But I gotta say you're very different from my mother."

"So? What does that mean?" Luna snapped.

"Well it's just that De Tanga thought he loved my mom... and you don't seem like her at all..."

"Are you saying that he couldn't be in love with me?" Luna's voice boomed with anger and growing rage.

Luna's aura frightened Val and made him want to hide. "No I don't mean that at all! I'm sure he's madly in love with you!" He stammered.

Luna smiled a satisfied smile. "I wouldn't say madly in love but he certainly is 'attached'." There was swelling of pride evident in her voice.

Val frowned. "Are you... 'attached' to him as well?"

"He works for me." Luna again clarified.

Val shook his head. One thing was for sure, it was doubtful that Val was ever going to get a straight answer out of the monster slayer in regards to her feelings towards the monster priest of Deep Sea Dolphin.


	27. Chapter 22F

_Author's Notes: Is this day ever going to end...?_

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two F, Day 88 – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

"Well thank god we've got Filia to get the rooms in order." Lina stated as she flopped down on the ever so comfy bed that was all hers. "Oh I could fall asleep right now..." She murmured already drifting off to dreamland.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia protested. "We have to go to talk to Miss Filia! You can't fall asleep right now!"

"But... so... tired..." Lina mumbled.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia shook the dragon spooker forcefully.

Lina groaned as she got back up. "Fine. But just so you know I'm not happy about this."

In the boys room Zelgadis was having a similar problem with getting Gourry out of bed. As soon as the blond haired swordsman's head hit the pillow he was out like a light.

"Gourry!" Zelgadis kicked Gourry with his shoe. "Get up you can sleep later!"

"I don't wanna!"

Zelgadis rolled his eyes.

"Are you two coming or what?" Lina demanded barging into the room.

"I am but I don't know about Gourry." Zelgadis grumbled.

Lina growled. "IF I DON'T GET TO SLEEP YOU DON'T EITHER! SO GET YOUR ASS UP OR IT'S BEING FRIED WITH A FIREBALL!"

"I'm up!" Gourry got up with a start. "Please don't hurt me!"

Lina just shook her head and stormed out the room.

...

Greater Beast Zellas had been watching all the events of the upcoming wedding from the comfort of her lair for quite some time now. She was quite looking forward to the possibility of 'special grandchildren' that her Xellos could produce with the golden dragon. Naturally she wanted to oversee everything that was going on to make sure that everything went smoothly. Though Zellas didn't want to think it she was almost certain that her little Xellos was going to screw things up at some point before the wedding. Needless to say she was surprised that Xellos despite all his meddling hadn't screwed things up so far. However Zellas had hoped that Xellos would have been able to bed the golden dragon before the wedding. If Filia was already 'knocked up' then she was less likely to refuse to marry Xellos.

Despite Xellos' failings in the seducing department all seemed to be going well.

That is until _he _showed up.

De Tanga, the priest of Deep Sea Dolphin. He had been the main reason why Xellos and Filia were together, he was also the biggest possibility for causing its destruction. The moment De Tanga came into town Zellas had been watching him. She wondered if De Tanga would try and stop the wedding but as Zellas soon discovered De Tanga didn't come alone.

He brought _her _with him.

That woman was of course was Luna Inverse. She was known by many to be the knight of Cepheid and a very dangerous woman. Seeing her show up for the wedding was cause for alarm. It could mean that Luna was there to stop wedding. For a golden dragon to marry a monster was a very disastrous notion. No doubt there would be people on both the 'good' and 'bad' sides that wouldn't want this wedding to happen. It was possible that Luna Inverse was acting on behalf Cepheid's will to keep one of his own from defiling herself by marrying a member of the monster race.

But surely if Luna Inverse were there to stop the wedding or kill Xellos then she wouldn't have come and checked in as a guest. And as a date of the best man.

Seeing Luna Inverse with De Tanga was very perplexing. Luna was known for killing monsters not consorting with them. This Zellas found very interesting and really made her wonder what mission Deep Sea Dolphin had sent her 'son' on. So much so that she had to check up on her 'sister'.

Greater Beast Zellas found Deep Sea Dolphin when she normally was, in her lair. Deep Sea was in another one of her decorating moods and was repainting. But unlike the chaotic standard of decoration this time there was some harmony to her colours. All the walls were painted in hues of blue, green and teal.

"Well you seem better then the last time I saw you." Zellas commented on her 'sister's mood.

Deep Sea Dolphin didn't acknowledge Greater Beast Zellas she just continued to paint while humming a rather inharmonious tune.

"You know the wedding is tomorrow." Zellas mused while sitting down in one of the few chairs not covered in paint. "My Xellos is marrying that golden dragon your De Tanga was so fond of."

This time Deep Sea stopped and looked at Zellas. She didn't say anything she just stared.

"I did wonder where you had sent De Tanga after that... 'incident' but now I have an idea. Though I must say I don't understand your motivations. Sending him off to Zelphilia could have been his death sentence. Lord Shabranigdo knows how many of our kind has been killed in that country."

Deep Sea laughed as she went back to painting. The memory of her last meeting with the budding monster slayer played out in her mind. Luna had gotten quite angry with Deep Sea 'playing' with her. Why it had been the most delicious meal Deep Sea had in ages. "So they are still playing nice?"

Zellas raised an eyebrow at this comment. "So you knew she wouldn't kill him? How could you have known?"

"She is my favourite." Deep Sea giggled as she painted swirls on the wall.

"So you thought you could set your 'son' up with someone to make him feel better? Why would you ever think the knight of Cepheid would be a good match for De Tanga?"

"She is my favourite." Deep Sea repeated herself not bothering to further explaining that statement.

"Are you coming to the wedding?"

Deep Sea didn't answer she just went back to humming.

"I'm sure Xellos or Filia didn't send you an invite."

"I don't need an invitation." Deep Sea's laugh bubbled out of her throat in bursts.

"If you mean to interfere with the wedding I will have to take action."

Deep Sea stopped once more to stare at Greater Beast Zellas with a sinister smile and crazy eyes. "You mean to kill me dear Sister?"

"I will protect my son."

Deep Sea laughed again. "Well I guess it all depends on the canary's song."

Zellas didn't understand that statement but she felt she wasn't going to ever. As at this point Deep Sea Dolphin further retreated back into the ocean of insanity that was her mind.

...

"I wonder what he's doing now." Filia wondered looking at the door. She knew Xellos had left some time ago, she didn't feel his evil presence anymore. Filia and De Tanga were still in the inn office talking. And as usual the topic of conversation with the two of them was none other than Xellos the trickster priest.

"Well I'd refrain from looking for him. It is bad luck for a groom to see his bride before the wedding." De Tanga pointed out. "That is unless you don't care for such old wives tales."

Filia frowned. "It's just superstition." She scoffed.

"Are you going to look for him?"

Filia shook her head. "No, I don't want to see him at all! He's nothing more than a headache!"

De Tanga let out a little chuckle. 'She is superstitious.' He thought to himself. "Would you like me to go check up on him?"

Again Filia shook her head. "No something tells me I'm better off not knowing what's going on."

"Well even still I have taken up much of your time. I'm sure you have lots of things to attend to for the wedding." De Tanga got up out of his chair.

"Yes I do. You see that mountain of paperwork on the desk there? I'm supposed to go through it but I've been putting it off. I should really get to that now while no one knows I'm here." Filia mused looking at the papers scattered on the desk. There were so many that even someone looking at it would cause half of it to fall to the ground.

"Well good luck. Hopefully I'll see you later." De Tanga opened the door and as he closed it behind him and stepped into the hall he almost knocked over someone right in his path.

"HEY! Watch where you're going!" A loud grouchy voice growled at him.

De Tanga blinked a few times. There was something so oddly familiar about that tone. He looked down at the petite woman he almost knocked over. She was much shorter than him with slightly tanned skin, long wild red hair and red eyes. She was dressed in garb typical of a sorceress complete with talismans. Added the fact that she had three others, a swordsmen, a chimera and a crown princess De Tanga knew exactly who stood before him. "Lina Inverse I presume." He offered out his hand.

Lina hesitantly took it. "Yes I am and you are...?" She prompted him noting the slant of his teal eyes. 'I'll bet this is a monster.'

"I am Xellos' best man."

Zelgadis let out a snort. "Xellos asked us to be his groomsmen and we turned him down. Looks like he managed to find one after all. Which is extremely surprising."

"I thought we were going to be groomsmen. That's what Lina and Amelia told me." Gourry commented rather confused while rubbing the back of his neck.

Right away Zelgadis glared at both Lina and Amelia. "What is Gourry saying?"

"Oh nothing!" Lina laughed it off.

"Amelia?" Zelgadis shot Amelia a very stern look.

"Well I may have... agreed to have you and Mister Gourry be Mister Xellos' groomsmen..." Amelia laughed nervously.

"How can you make those decisions for me!" Zelgadis growled.

"But Mister Zelgadis! You can possibly want to leave Mister Xellos all alone up there on his wedding with no comrades at his sides? We're his friends after all!" Amelia protested.

"He is NOT my FRIEND!" Zelgadis yelled.

"Oh shut up Zel, there are worst things in life than having to wear a tux and standing up at the altar." Lina brushed off Zelgadis and went back to De Tanga. "Okay so you're Xellos' best man... But still who are you? I've never seen you before."

"I'm De Tanga." He bowed before her.

Lina frowned. The name did strike a chord in the back of her head.

De Tanga had to refrain from chuckling as he watched Lina thinking. Though you could say that Lina, Luna, Leviathan and Gavin didn't look much alike De Tanga could see the resemblance. Lina out of all the Inverse children looked most like Gertrude especially when she frowned. But the edge in her voice De Tanga realized was more like a mish mash between Faithe and Blitz.

"Isn't De Tanga the name of the priest of that fish monster lord?" Gourry mused out loud thinking back to school.

"Fish? You mean Deep Sea Dolphin?" Lina exclaimed. "No of course not!" Lina wrote it off right away. "Deep Sea Dolphin's priest is..." As she thought about it she realized that Gourry was right. "Oh gods the sky must be falling... Gourry is right."

Zelgadis and Amelia shared in the horror of this revelation while Gourry just looked insulted.

"I may not be all book smart like the three of you but I can too remember some stuff!" Gourry protested. Gourry wasn't a stupid man, he just had selective interests. "I'll bet you guys don't know the name of the man who led the Torlenze people in battle against the rock dragons!"

There was a silence in the hall. Because of course Gourry was right, they didn't know.

"And furthermore..." Gourry thought really hard for a moment as something else came to mind. "Isn't a tanga a type of woman's underwear?"

De Tanga almost facefaulted to the ground. This was not the first time someone had made that comparison to his name. He cleared his throat while changing the subject. "Well anyway I should be going. If you are looking for Filia she's in that room." De Tanga pointed to office door. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go find my date before she accidently kills someone or destroys the town." And with that De Tanga phased out.

"Who was the man who lead the Torlenze people Mister Gourry?" Amelia wondered as she genuinely curious.

Gourry frowned not knowing what Amelia was talking about at first. Then he remembered what he brought up earlier. "Oh right! Yeah his name was Silas. In fact my little brother is named after him." Gourry stated proudly.

"Is this Silas man related to you?" Zelgadis asked.

"Well yes, he's my little brother."

Sweatdrops all around.

"That's not what I meant- Oh nevermind!" Zelgadis shook his head. "Alright let's go talk to Filia."

"Hopefully we can talk some sense into her." Lina mused before knocking on the door.

...

As De Tanga phased here and there he couldn't find where Luna had gone. Given her natural raw power it should have been easy to spot the monster slayer on the astral plane but since her power was so large and unfocused it was hard to pin point. Eventually after trial and error De Tanga found her talking with Val. He could tell from the universal stressed and uneasy feelings in the air that Luna had been doing something to the wedding staff.

"What is she doing?" De Tanga wondered out loud appearing before Val and Luna.

Luna grinned rather evilly at him. "What do you think I'm doing something bad?" Her tone was about as wicked as her smile.

"I'll bet it's trouble in some form."

"Are you saying I'm a trouble maker?" Luna shot back at him her smile never wavering.

"You don't just make trouble it follows you around."

"I guess that would explain why you're always following me around like a pathetic lost puppy."

Val watched these exchanges between the two with a mix or curiosity and repulsion. Clearly they had forgotten he was standing with them. 'Yeah... he just works for her... my ass.' Val shook his head and walked off not even caring if the two of them noticed.


	28. Chapter 22G

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two G, Day 88 – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

Filia was going through the bills for the flowers and the cake when she heard a not so light and polite knocking on the door. Puzzled Filia frowned wondering who the heck knew she was here. 'Did De Tanga forget something?' "Yes?" She called out.

"Filia! It's us!" Lina exclaimed as she opened the door.

Right away Filia jumped out of her chair and went to hug her friends. "Miss Lina! Mister Gourry! Mister Zelgadis! Amelia you all came!"

"Some of us almost didn't. It's hard to believe that this is a real wedding and not some sick joke of Xellos'." Zelgadis mused while frowning.

"It's not... a joke." Filia laughed nervously.

Amelia, Lina, Zelgadis and Gourry stood there staring at Filia with strange expressions on their faces.

Filia looked around at the four of them with rising anxiety building at the pit of her stomach. The four of them were looking at her far too intensely.

"What do you think?" Lina asked Amelia without turning her head to look at the Sailune princess.

"It's hard to tell... I don't think it's a spell." Amelia mumbled.

"It's got to be." Zelgadis insisted. "Why else would she say yes to him? She'd have to be insane."

"Well if it's not a spell then it must be blackmail or something." Gourry mused scratching his head in thought.

"Miss Filia is Mister Xellos threatening you into marrying him?" Amelia asked Filia while holding her hand in support. "Because we can do something to help you. You don't have to marry him."

"Yes that's right Filia. You do have a choice." Lina agreed.

Filia frowned. This wasn't amusing not one bit. "I'm not being threatened nor am I under a spell!" Filia protested.

"But you're marrying Xellos tomorrow! _Xellos!_ Why on gods earth would you do such a stupid insane thing?" Zelgadis exclaimed almost angrily. "You hated him more than any one of us why the hell would agree to marry him?"

"Why should I have to explain myself?" Filia shouted angrily with her tail poking out from under her dress.

"Because you're not making any sense Filia!" Lina shouted back.

"I'm the bride I DON'T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE!" Filia screamed. She didn't care if she was sounding crazy. She decided she was going to marry Xellos and that was that. No one had the right to tell her what to do.

"I guess they really didn't hate other after all." Gourry mumbled. "People sure have weird ways of showing they love each other."

"Filia doesn't love Xellos." Zelgadis corrected Gourry. "That's just not possible."

"But she's marrying him. Why would she marry him if she doesn't love him?" Gourry countered clearly not understanding Zelgadis' logic.

"That's what we're trying to find out."

"Is Val being held for ransom till you marry Mister Xellos?" Amelia asked Filia while looking genuinely worried.

"Val is fine!" Filia growled. She was really getting tired of this.

"Then it must be a love spell." Lina insisted. "Amelia do you know any spells that could dispel a love spell?"

"It may not be a spell, it's probably a curse." Zelgadis mused. "Or maybe a puppet spell."

Filia glared at Zelgadis. "Are you suggesting I'm a simple minded fool being controlled by Xellos?"

"I can try and cast a disenchant spell but it will take some time and it may be beyond my casting ability. But it should remove any sort of controlling spells Miss Filia is under." Amelia suggested.

Lina gave Amelia a go ahead nod.

"No you will not!" Filia protested.

"Just do it Amelia." Lina ordered her.

Amelia put her hands together and started to chant under her breath.

"That's really not necessary!" Filia fumed. She was very close to changing into her dragon form out of rage.

"Filia it's for your own good." Lina assured her. "Who knows what spells that fruit cake has cast on you."

Filia sat herself back down almost sitting on her tail. As much as she wanted to stop Amelia a small part of her really wondered if this was just a spell after all. It would be an easier thought to digest than the notion of her actually being in love with Xellos. How could she love a monster for? It was crazy after all. And it wasn't just any monster is was _Xellos_ after all.

Amelia looked very strained as got towards end of the spell incantation. Disenchant was a spell only able to be casted by high levelled priests and though Amelia was always working on her white magic training she still had a lot of studying left to do. "_DISENCHANT!_"

Magical energy surrounded Filia but quickly fizzled out.

"Did it work?" Lina wondered.

"I don't know. I think I may have messed up the spell." Amelia admitted. "Do you feel any different Miss Filia?"

Filia wanted to say yes, that she was finally free of these extremely inconvenient feelings. But truthfully she didn't feel different at all. "No."

"Well then the spell didn't work." Lina decided. "Is there any high levelled priests in town?"

"No!" Filia scowled. "And will you please drop this! I'm getting very tired of it!"

"Isn't Filia really powerful?" Gourry pointed out. "Maybe she could get the spell to work."

"Yeah why don't you try it Filia!" Lina encouraged her.

"NO! And if you're only here to pester me then you should all go. I have lots of work to do for the wedding." Filia huffed going through the papers once more.

"See she really does love him." Gourry mused.

Filia's normal gut reaction was to deny that fact with every fibre of her being. And as much as she wanted to yell that from the top of her lungs she couldn't. Because that would be a lie.

Lina and Zelgadis were still sceptical while Amelia was off in dreamland.

"How romantic! Two people who were once mortal enemies able to put their differences aside in the pursuit of true love!" Amelia's eyes were far off as she thought about all the wonders that love could bring. "How did he do it? How did Mister Xellos sweep you off your feet?"

Filia frowned. "He declared he loved me in the face of an enemy that was trying to kill him and me. He also took a blow that was meant to kill me and was seriously harmed in the process."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it's Xellos under the spell."

"That would explain a lot." Zelgadis nodded in agreement.

"Miss Lina! Mister Zelgadis! I can't believe you two! The both of you are so cynical that you can't believe in the power of love transcending races and mutual hatred! Love has the power to heal all broken and evil hearts! It is the strongest force on the planet that can change the world!" Amelia proclaimed while standing on top of the very desk Filia had been working at.

"Amelia please come down from there?" Filia pleaded with the Sailune princess while feeling a little bit embarrassed. "You're making a scene and a mess."

...

While Lina and company grilled Filia – De Tanga and Luna were still verbally fighting/flirting with each other.

"... and I bet the only reason you're here 'helping' Val is because you can't go one day without terrorizing people." De Tanga mused with a grin.

"I am capable of being generous you know."

"Oh is that so?"

"I let you have the privilege of my company after all." Luna smirked at him while winking.

"Oh you are generous. And probably hungry too. Val can I steal her away for-" De Tanga looked around confused. "Val? Where did he go?"

Luna looked around not seeing the ancient dragon either. "I guess he must have left while we were 'talking'."

"Well care to join me for lunch?" De Tanga offered her his arm.

"No teleporting." She warned him.

"We're not going far, so there wouldn't be any point." De Tanga's arm was still up for Luna but it was clear that the monster slayer wasn't going to take it. Disappointed he lowered it and motioned for Luna to follow him.

"Where are we going?"

"That little cafe over there. It's no 'Devil's Spoon' but its soups and sandwiches are pretty good."

"I hope you realize you're paying and I'm very hungry." Luna grinned deviously.

"Seeing how you don't pay me much it's going to be a very sad small meal."

Luna rolled her eyes. "I suppose this is your way of crying about your wages? I'll have you know you get paid more than some of the staff."

"So you're really that mean to make the others work for peanuts?" De Tanga shot back as they sat down at one of the outdoor tables of the cafe.

Luna stuck her tongue at him. She wanted to make a comment or two but the waitress came to take their order. The waitress looked rather bewildered once she was finished writing down their order.

"So I met your sister." De Tanga commented while they waited for their food.

"I heard she was here."

"She doesn't know you're here at all does she?"

Luna smirked. "No and why should she?" It seemed like that devious smile was going to stay on Luna's face for a while. There just seemed to be too many things around to amuse her.

"Are you going to let her know you're here?"

"Naturally." Her devious smile got that much more evil as she plotted in her head of ways to 'greet' her sister.

De Tanga chuckled. He knew exactly what Luna was thinking about. "Lina has such a mean sister."

Luna darkly chuckled. "I'm not going to throw slugs at her or anything."

"Please don't wait till the wedding to 'greet' her. I doubt a woman shrieking hysterically will go over well during the nuptials."

Luna frowned. She hadn't thought of waiting till the actual wedding to 'surprise' her sister. It was a marvellous idea that she definitely wanted to do. "It's not like the wedding is going to go smoothly anyway." Luna tried to justify the potential action.

"Luna!" De Tanga growled at her. "YOU will NOT do THAT!"

Luna had to smile at De Tanga's determination. "There was a time when you would be afraid to make such bold demands. It's... amusing though I would like to see you try and stop me from doing something." She dared him.

"I won't need to. Because if you don't tell your sister you're here before the wedding I will."

Ordinarily Luna would have fought this but in this instance she didn't see the point. She wanted the wedding to go smoothly after all. "How do you purpose I tell her?"

"You said you're not using slugs." He reminded her.

"I don't need to do much to frighten her. I wonder if I could get her room number from Gravos..." Luna mused thinking over a new plan.

"What are you thinking of doing Luna?"

"Well wouldn't it be frightening to wake up with someone staring at you? Especially if that person was holding a very large sword?" Luna couldn't help but devilishly giggle at that prospect.

...

Lina found herself shivering from the sudden chill that ran up and down her spine.

"Seriously Lina is something wrong with you? You're acting very out of character." Zelgadis commented while frowning. It was true Lina was acting preoccupied and nervous.

"Oh it's nothing I'm sure!" Lina waved it off but truthfully she couldn't shake off that horrible feeling.


	29. Chapter 22H

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two H, Day 88 – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

"Miss Filia who is your maid of honour? We know Mister De Tanga is Mister Xellos' best man." Amelia wondered excitedly. Yes she would love to be the maid of honour but even if she wasn't she was fine that. She was going to be a bridesmaid after all.

"Well that is a bit of a problem... I haven't decided..." Filia sweatdropped. "Partly because with De Tanga, Mister Zelgadis and Mister Gourry as Xellos' groomsmen it's uneven to my bridesmaids as I have only you and Miss Lina." She explained.

"Don't you have someone in town that could be your third?" Lina suggested. Filia had been in her town for quite a while that should have been more than enough time to make a few girlfriends.

"Filia doesn't need to." Zelgadis interjected. "Because I'm not going to be one of Xellos' groomsmen."

"Mister Zelgadis you have to!" Amelia exclaimed. "Mister Xellos is expecting you to!"

"I don't care."

Filia laughed nervously before continuing on with Lina's question. "Well Miss Lina to answer your question there are people in town I could ask... but they have all been pestering me to pick one of them since the date was announced. If I pick one of them they all will get angry with me."

"Well you don't have to be so traditional, you could have a guy be one of your bridesmaids." Gourry suggested.

"I'll gladly be a best man for you." Zelgadis offered taking Filia's hand in his.

Both Lina and Amelia hit Zelgadis down with their boots.

"Mister Zelgadis you can't be serious!" Amelia protested.

"And even if you did things would still be uneven!" Lina added.

"Who's walking you down the aisle?" Gourry wondered.

"I would gladly-" Zelgadis started to say but got clobbered again before he could finish his sentence.

"Val is walking me down the aisle. Maybe I could ask Gravos or Jilas to walk me and Val could be my best man." Filia mused. "Do you think he would?"

"If not I-" Again Zelgadis tried to offer.

"Can it Zel!" Lina growled. "If Val does it then he'd have to walk down the aisle with that De Tanga guy. Do you think that would bother him?"

Filia shook her head. "No he likes De Tanga. So I don't see that being a problem. And it's not like I'm going to make him wear a dress."

"What's the story with this De Tanga guy? How do you know him?" Lina asked with an eyebrow raised. Filia wasn't one to be friendly with monsters on a good day. So even if you were able to believe that somehow she managed to get over her dislike enough to get involved with Xellos it didn't seem like she would befriend another monster as well.

Filia nervously laughed. "Well that's... a long story."

"Which you're going to explain." Lina prompted her. "He's a monster Filia. And you don't like monsters. You gotta see how this seems to us. First of all we get invited to your wedding to Xellos and now you're friends with another monster? You do realize how strange this all seems to us."

"Well... um... you know who De Tanga is right?"

"Yeah he's the priest of Deep Sea Dolphin." Amelia added.

"I know none of you were born yet when the war of the monster's fall occurred so there might be some details you may not know about it. Most of the monsters were active in this war, except Deep Sea Dolphin. Her involvement was sporadic and much of her minors played little or no roles in the war. De Tanga was one of those such monsters. Deep Sea Dolphin never made her priest take part in the war. And for good reason, he isn't like most monsters." Filia explained. "De Tanga doesn't feed on negative emotions. He's probably the only living monster that feeds on positive ones."

Lina frowned at this little tidbit of information. "Positive emotions? I didn't think that was possible..."

"De Tanga is 'special' that's for sure. He doesn't have the evil essence that other monsters have."

"Well that's like a person smelling like what they ate when they sweat." Zelgadis observed.

"Exactly." Filia agreed nodding her head. "De Tanga's actually a good man who doesn't do evil things like his kin. Despite the fact that Xellos is his best friend."

"That' explains why you would befriend him... but how did you meet him?" Lina grilled Filia some more.

"It was a chance meeting, or I thought it was. He came to me purposing an idea. A way to really make Xellos squirm. But I had no idea what De Tanga's real plans were. De Tanga saw something different in Xellos, and that was actually because of me. What De Tanga really intended to do was to get Xellos and I together so that we could both be happy."

"Maybe this De Tanga guy casted a spell to make you both think you were in love with each other." Zelgadis mused thinking that that was a far better explanation then Filia and Xellos actually secretly being in love.

"Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia protested. "How can you suggest such cynical scenarios? Can't you see this is just the result of true love shining through despite all adversity? In the darkest hopeless spots love can sprout eternal!" Amelia was once again standing tall on the desk pointing to the ceiling in a triumphant pose.

"It's probably a spell." Lina agreed with Zelgadis while completely ignoring Amelia.

Amelia faltered and fell off the desk. "Oww..."

"It's not a spell I can assure you." Filia waved her hands in the air. "Believe me I would love it more than anything to know that these horrible feelings are something conjured up by magic. But I know it's not. You can't choose the people you... _love_... the heart chooses who it wants."

"How can you be so sure that De Tanga didn't do anything?" Gourry wondered while frowning. Sometimes Gourry did get lost in conversations for lack of paying attention. But this time he was trying really hard to follow along and he was still feeling a bit lost. Xellos and Filia... it just seemed so... _unnatural_.

"Well..." Filia couldn't fight the blush creeping up her face. "De Tanga and I... got close during that time. We started to develop feelings for each other."

"If Mister De Tanga is a good monster why would settle for Mister Xellos instead?" Amelia had to ask.

"Hey weren't you going on about that eternal love crap just a moment ago?" Lina snapped.

"Well it's just... Mister De Tanga does seem like he's a lot nicer and would be a better fit for Miss Filia..." Amelia mumbled.

"I agree, why don't you marry De Tanga and Gourry and I will be his groomsmen." Zelgadis suggested.

Lina rolled her eyes and ignored both of them. "Okay so you and De Tanga had a 'thing' going so obviously De Tanga would have wanted to have you all to himself. Therefore he would have just broken the love spell if he had casted one in the first place."

"Right." Filia nodded. "There was no love spell."

"Okay why Xellos instead of De Tanga?"

"Well..." Filia trailed off. She didn't want to tell them the whole story. Most of the details were embarrassing enough. No self respecting golden dragon should be so easily swept off their feet by a monster like she did. "I didn't want to 'pick' Xellos. If given a choice I would have gladly chosen De Tanga. But..."

"You weren't in love with De Tanga. You were in love with Xellos." Lina finished off Filia's sentence.

"I know it's horrible!" Filia cried out tears falling freely down her face. "I don't want to be in love with Xellos! He's such a vile horrible creature! To think a once righteous golden dragon sullying myself being attached to such a _thing!_ Oh how my ancestors must be turning in their graves. It's so shameful!"

"Then don't marry him!" Lina exclaimed.

"Oh I can't do that." Filia insisted with her face suddenly clear of all tears. "I'm getting married tomorrow."

Lina, Amelia and Zelgadis facefaulted while Gourry just stood there confused. To make matters worse Filia was getting stars in her eyes thinking about her wedding.

"My dress is so pretty! It's all white with lace, crystal and pearl embellishments." Filia gushed happily.

"Filia you were just upset a moment ago..." Lina commented clearly disturbed by this sudden change. "Now you're happy about the wedding...?"

"Well it's a very pretty dress." Filia insisted.

More collective facefaulting.

...

De Tanga had seen the ferocity of an Inverse's appetite before so it was unlikely for him to be surprised by this meal. So when the waitress brought everything that he and Luna had ordered to their table De Tanga wasn't shocked about the amount. Even not seeing how the Inverse family eats De Tanga knew by Lina Inverse eating reputation that they can eat a lot. Though he had seen Luna eat breakfast with him before he hadn't really eaten with her too often. Nor had he seen Luna eat at the speeds and table manners that Lina was known for. He expected that Luna would eat much cleaner and with better table manners than her little sister. But he didn't expect her to be a speed eater.

From the moment the food was placed in front of her Luna was at it at alarming speeds. It was so quick that you almost couldn't see her hands. They were a blur across the plates with the food rapidly disappearing. He didn't even see Luna putting the food into her mouth to chew and swallow. It was just gone.

As De Tanga sat there gawking at Luna's table habits Luna of course just had to take advantage of this. So while De Tanga was distracted Luna started to steal from De Tanga's plates.

De Tanga didn't notice this right away till he noticed his roll was gone. "Hey! Stay away from food you thief!"

Luna giggled in between bites.

All in all the lunch was going well until they were interrupted by a blood curdling scream.

"What was that?" De Tanga mumbled looking for the source of the shrieking.

Luna didn't need to look to see where the screams were coming from. Instead she cursed liked a sailor.

Just outside the inn was Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis. The foursome had failed in trying to persuade Filia to call off her wedding and were now in search of places to eat.

It happened when Zelgadis pointed to that very cafe Luna and De Tanga were eating. Amelia made the comment that De Tanga was sitting at one of the patio tables. Of course Gourry had to pose the question of who that woman De Tanga was eating with. And that's when Lina looked to see what where her friends were looking at.

And that's when Lina let out the blood curdling scream.

At first Zelgadis, Amelia and Gourry didn't understand why their 'leader' was screaming. It didn't make much sense, Lina was a fearless person. She was barely afraid of anything. So why was she so petrified and screaming? What could scare the bandit killer, dragon spooker, monster lord slayer?

Who but of course her older sister.

Back at the table De Tanga couldn't help but laugh. "Oh no, it's your sister." De Tanga realized with a smile. "I guess you don't get to terrorize her in her sleep."

Luna continued her cursing ignoring what De Tanga was saying to her. She was really disappointed; she was looking forward to scaring her in her own special way.

"My Miss Lina sure is afraid of you isn't she Miss Luna?" Xellos commented while taking a sip of his tea.

De Tanga snapped his head in Xellos' direction. "When did you- why did you-?" He mumbled clearly confused by his friend's sudden appearance. But given that it was Xellos it shouldn't have been so surprising.

Over by the inn Lina's traveling companions were still not understanding why Lina was screaming. She was now running around like a headless chicken while shrieking

"Lina get a hold of yourself!" Zelgadis shook Lina trying to snap her out of it. Unfortunately grabbing a hysterical can be a dangerous thing. Once Zelgadis grabbed her Lina's hands clenched onto Zelgadis' arms so tightly that Zelgadis thought his arms were going to be snapped off.

"Why is Lina acting like that?" Gourry wondered not seeing what's so scary about that cafe.

"I think it's that person that Mister De Tanga is eating with." Amelia explained to Gourry. "But who is that woman?"

"I'm thinking... grrr... it's... Lina's... older sister..." Zelgadis grimaced as Lina was still squeezing the life out of him.

Once Zelgadis said the word sister Lina shrieked even louder. "L-l-l-l-una!" And with that the dragon spooker fainted. But given what she had been doing to Zelgadis' arms Zelgadis didn't have the strength to hold onto her so he dropped her onto the ground.

Alarmed De Tanga phased over to the foursome. "Is Miss Lina alright?" De Tanga wondered looking at the redhead. "She's still breathing."

Luna on the other hand sauntered over with a not so pleased look on her face. "She fainted?" Luna commented dryly.

"Looks like." De Tanga confirmed it.

Zelgadis, Gourry and Amelia didn't know too much of Lina's older sister Luna, just that she was a very scary woman. And just the aura of her presence was enough to confirm that. Something about the look of that purple haired woman was enough to make you feel like your stomach had turned to ice.

Luna did the only thing she could think of doing at that moment. She kicked Lina. "Get up you whimp!"

"Luna!" De Tanga protested. "She's not even conscious! You should wait till she's awake before you try and kill her!" He growled at her.

"If I was trying to kill her I would have kicked harder." Luna retorted defensively.

Though Lina was their friend Zelgadis, Amelia and Gourry found themselves backing up slowly and ready to run.

"Come on now let's get back to our lunch. You can terrorize your sister later." De Tanga grabbed Luna and started to drag her off. Right away as he did this he felt the burning angry rage building in the monster slayer. How dare he manhandle her?

Luna glared at him completely surprised he'd be so bold. "You're telling me what to do?" She snapped at him with her voice full of anger.

"Yes I am!" He growled back. "And I know you'll do what I want because secretly you like it when I boss you around!"

Luna narrowed her eyes at him. "You're playing a very dangerous game De Tanga."

"I love danger." He looked her right in the eye as if dare her to accept this indirect admission. He had a devilish grin plastered to his face as he wondered how Luna would react. If was that fine line between affection and death that attracted him to her in the first place.

Luna of course had to grin back at him. "One of these days I might kill you." She warned him.

"I'll die with a smile." He assured her. "Now seriously let's get back to the cafe. We wouldn't want the waitress to think we dined and dashed. And if you don't go back with me I'll just eat the rest of your food."

"If you did that I would surely kill you." Luna said with a laugh.

Over where Lina had fallen her comrades just looked on with fear in their hearts.

"Mister De Tanga and Miss Luna seem to have a strange relationship." Amelia mused while still shaking in fear.

Gourry and Zelgadis deftly nodded in agreement. Both men had gained respect for the monster priest; De Tanga was definitely a brave man.


	30. Chapter 22I

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Two I, Day 88 – 2 Days to Go

By Relm

After waking up from passing out Lina in her delusional thinking managed to convince herself that Luna was never there, that she had just dreamed up her scary sister being in the same town as her. Well more of a nightmare actually. And Luna wasn't there when she woke so it further confirmed it for Lina. Luna wasn't there so why should she worry about it?

Zelgadis and Amelia tried to talk to Lina about her older sister when she woke but Lina dodged each question. Lina was convinced that Luna hadn't been there and she wasn't about to let anyone change that in her mind. It was frustrating for the chimera and the princess, Lina just wouldn't listen.

Gourry on the other hand forgot what happened and had decided to focus on their main purpose for the leaving the inn in the first place. Food. And Lina was in agreement. So that was end of the Luna business.

And that set the tone for the rest of the day. Lina refused to talk about her older sister at all. She ignored any and all comments regarding Luna. Even when Zelgadis and Amelia were speculating why Luna was in town and why she was with De Tanga - Lina ignored it.

Lina sighed happily in her bed as she slept that night without a care in the world. Completely ignorant to any possible dangers.

...

In their shared room Luna was going through the things she packed. Though it wasn't her clothing she was going through, but an vast array of sharp and scary looking weapons all spread out on the bed.

"Luna what are you doing?" De Tanga asked as he watched his 'date' riffle through her things from his vantage point across the room. He had been sitting in a chair reading a book when Luna started piling all her packed possessions on the bed drawing his attention away from his otherwise engaging literature.

Luna gave De Tanga a sideways glance. There was a playful smirk dancing on her lips as the corners of her mouth headed north. "I'm going through my luggage." She meant her voice to sound innocent but it was incapable of sounding anything but sinister.

"Why did you pack so many weapons for? Are you really afraid of me trying something that you felt the need to well arm yourself? Or was this your father's idea?" De Tanga got up to look at some of the blades Luna brought. They looked sharp and scary.

"Wedding between a monster and a golden dragon." Luna reminded him.

De Tanga almost mentally smacked himself that one. Of course there were possible and real danger to be had. "Okay point taken. But why are you taking inventory with such glee for?" De Tanga asked with a raised eyebrow. He was sure of what the reason was but he wanted to hear her say it.

"Oh come on now De Tanga do you really think I'm up to something bad?" Luna's ever present smile got broader.

"I always think you're up to something bad. So it's the question of what it is this time." De Tanga shot back.

"You always think the worst of me don't you? I'm hurt." She mock pouted.

De Tanga chuckled. "You're going to terrorize your sister aren't you?"

"Now why would you think that?"

"Because of our talk earlier. You do realize she knows you're here so you're not going to get the impact you wanted." De Tanga reminded her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Luna said rather smugly before picking up her largest sword she brought and walking out the door.

De Tanga just stood there rolling his eyes.

...

In her bed Lina was dreaming of a land of roasted chickens and mashed potatoes. Rich dark gravy flowed down the riverbed and sautéed garlic and mushrooms rained from the sky. Oh it was a glorious land that Lina never wanted to leave. So many delicious sights, smells and tastes. But alas all good things must come to an end.

Lina wasn't sure what woke her, her room was rather quiet. She hadn't been having a nightmare and she hadn't wanted to wake up. Amelia was sharing a room with her but the Sailune princess was fast asleep. And it was definitely still dark so it wasn't morning. So why had she woken?

It didn't take long for it to settle in. That feeling of dread, like ice in her stomach being shook around. The fear so intense that she felt her skin crawling under the surface. Lina lay there in her bed completely frozen unable to move. She couldn't even open her eyes but she knew. She knew she wasn't alone.

Yes Amelia was sleeping in the room too but it wasn't just her and Lina in the room. No there was a third person.

Suddenly that event from earlier in the day came back at Lina. She had suppressed it completely blocking it out of her mind. But not it was back at full force screaming at her from the back of her mind. _Luna_. Her sister Luna was here!

When faced with certain danger it was common to either hide or run from it. But even when your first instincts were to get the hell away from it there was always the sense of curiosity. You had to see it, to know it was really there. Like when crossing a dangerous bridge. You knew you shouldn't look down to see how far up you are from the ground but you just have to look.

So even though Lina didn't want to she had to look up, to see the object of her fear. And there she was looming over her with a big sinister grin and an even bigger sword. _Luna_. The sword was unsheathed and glimmered in the moonlight.

"!" Lina screamed bloody murder clutching her covers.

...

It was late enough in the night that most people in the inn were sleeping at that moment. But then most people weren't rooming with the loudest snorer of the demon peninsula. So needless to say Zelgadis wasn't exactly sleeping when he heard the scream.

Zelgadis had heard many screams in his day. From bandits to trolls to animals each scream was distinctive and easy to identify. But this scream was unlike any he had heard before. It was loud and inhuman.

And it scared the crap out of him.

He had been trying to sleep up until that point. But as soon as he heard the scream he was sitting up his bed ears perked and stomach in knots.

Gourry failed to stir at the sound of the screaming. He just rolled over in his bed and continued his snoring.

"What the hell was that?" Zelgadis mumbled to himself as he listened.

Yet another scream sounded and it was clear that it was coming from the room next door. Amelia and Lina's room.

In a flash Zelgadis was out of bed and into the hall.

...

Luna wasn't attacking her sister; all she was doing was standing over her bed smiling holding her sword. It's not like she was going to kill her sister after all. Luna may be evil but she wasn't about to commit murder.

At least not with a witness of course.

That witness was Amelia who had just been woken up by Lina's screaming.

"Miss Luna! Please don't do it! Murder is wrong!" Amelia pleaded with the monster slayer.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lina shrieked once more her voice getting raw and raspy from all the screaming.

"Lina! Amelia!" Zelgadis came busting into the room with his sword drawn and ready. But as soon as he came face to face with the threat he unconsciously backed up.

Luna turned her head to look at the chimera. She had an eerie smile plastered on her face that did nothing to help Zelgadis' nerves. Likewise the battle aura that surrounded the monster slayer didn't inspire confidence in the chimera.

"L-l-l-l-l-u-n-a! It's a nightmare! You're not real! Lina wake up!" Lina pleaded with herself as she started to go into hysterics.

Luna looked back at her little sister. "You're not dreaming." She said with just too much glee in her voice raising her large sword to point it at Lina.

Zelgadis wanted to warn Luna. To tell her to get away from Lina. That if she tried to hurt Lina he was going to make her pay for it. But at that moment Zelgadis couldn't find his voice nor could he move. He had become paralyzed.

"You did a bad thing little sister." Luna taunted Lina. "You haven't been properly 'punished' yet."

"Please don't kill me please don't kill me!" Lina pleaded crying herself a river. "I'm sorry! I'm soo sorry! I'll do anything just please don't kill me!"

"Saying sorry just doesn't cut it Lina." Luna laughed darkly. "However this lovely blade of mine cuts many things." Luna slashed the sword downward on Lina's bed slicing it in half just barely missing one of Lina's legs.

Lina recoiled in fear and pulled her legs close to her as she huddled into a ball. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..." Lina droned on over and over again.

Luna brought back up the sword satisfied with the damage she caused. "Do you know what I'm going to do to you Lina?"

"You're going to do nothing." De Tanga stated as he phased into the room.

Luna glared at him. "Excuse me? What the hell makes you think you can tell me what to do?" Luna screeched at him.

De Tanga smirked before phasing out.

Luna looked around wondering where Deep Sea's priest had gone.

De Tanga phased back right behind Luna. Before Luna could react De Tanga grabbed her by the waist and phased out of Lina's room and back into their room.

Luna violently shook out of De Tanga's grasp and was ready to slash him with her sword. "What hell did you do that for?" She screamed at him.

"Luna I'm not about to let you kill your sister!" De Tanga yelled back at her.

"I wasn't going to kill her." Luna hissed.

"Oh? Her bed might disagree with that."

Luna narrowed her eyes at him. "I wasn't trying to slash her."

"So you just had a grievance with the bed then? By the way you're paying for the damages you caused. I swear you're just as bad as you father. I wonder what your parents would say if they found out you tried to kill your sister." De Tanga chided shaking his head.

"I told you I wasn't trying to kill her!"

"Well then what were you going to do then besides scare the crap out of her?"

"I was only going to stab her once..." Luna mumbled while sitting herself down on the bed.

"WHAT? And that's not trying to kill her?" De Tanga shouted not believing what he was hearing.

"That princess she's with would have healed her." Luna justified rather huffily.

"What if she couldn't heal her? What if it's the princess' time of month?" De Tanga didn't care how loud he was being. He doubted that anyone was asleep in the inn at this point after all of Lina's screaming.

"There are other people who know white magic in town. Someone would have healed her." Again Luna tried to justify her actions.

"I don't care. You're not going anywhere near your little sister! You leave her alone till after the wedding!" De Tanga ordered Luna.

"You can't order me around. I don't need your permission to do anything. I can do whatever I want." Luna dared him standing up to glare at him eye to eye.

Anyone that close to the monster slayer's evil eyes might have shrunken under her intense glare. But De Tanga wasn't backing down. He was mad. "You damn well will do what I say! I've let you do some crazy things Luna but this time I'm taking a stand. And I don't care if you end up hating me for it, but I'm not about to let you do something that will mess up the wedding!"

Feeling the waves of true real anger from De Tanga was something strange for Luna. She had been trying to get his goat since she met him but she had never seen him like this. It was almost a shock to her system and it made her see the big picture. The wedding. Of course Luna didn't want to mess up the wedding. Doing anything to potentially ruin the wedding and push De Tanga towards Filia was completely counterproductive to the reason Luna came in the first place. Even though she didn't want to, Luna knew she had to concede defeat this time. "Alright, I won't do anything... until after the wedding."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. Expecting Luna to completely change and comply with what he wanted was unrealistic. "Fine. I'm tired and going to bed." He announced before grabbing a sheet and a pillow and curling up on the floor.

Luna watched this with curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to sleep." De Tanga mumbled with closed eyes.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"You were very clear earlier about not wanting to share the bed with me. So I'm sleeping on the floor like you told me to."

"And since when do you what I tell you to?" Luna mused as she cleared off the bed of her weapons.

"I usually do what you ask even though I don't plan to or want to." De Tanga grumbled.

"Okay." Luna blew out the lamp and hopped into her bed completely ignoring her roommate.

De Tanga looked up at the bed. "Aren't you going to tell me it's okay to sleep in the bed with you?"

"Nope." Luna mumbled as she got herself settled under her covers.

"You don't even care one bit that I'm sleep on the hard floor?"

"You're a monster you don't even need to sleep." Luna mused feeling very amused at that moment.

"Only if I'm getting enough to eat throughout the day." De Tanga mumbled. "So you're just going to let me sleep on the floor?"

"Yup. So shut up. I'm trying to sleep." Luna half order half mumbled at him from her pillow.

De Tanga sat up and glared at her. "You know I might just jump into bed after you fall asleep." He warned her.

"If I catch you do you'll end up dead." Luna replied with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"So you're saying there's no way I'm sleeping in that bed tonight?"

"Maybe... if you begged I might reconsider."

De Tanga frowned. He didn't want to beg. But he didn't want to sleep on the floor either. "May I sleep in the bed?" De Tanga asked very sweetly.

"No." Luna let out a devilish giggle.

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "You said if I begged you'd let me!"

"I said if you begged I might. But you just asked not begged so you can stay on the floor."

"Evil woman." De Tanga mumbled before giving up and going to sleep on the floor.

...

Though Luna was gone, Lina was enclosable mess.

"We told you she was here." Zelgadis exclaimed trying to get through to Lina.

Lina didn't respond she just mumbled to herself still curled up in that ball.

"I think Miss Lina is in shock." Amelia observed with worry. "But with Miss Luna as her sister I can understand why Miss Lina is so frightened! I thought she was going to kill Miss Lina!"

"Yeah if that De Tanga guy didn't come in when he did who knows what Lina's sister would have done." Zelgadis agreed. "I'm actually quite surprised Lina's sister would let a monster stop her like that."

"Maybe Miss Lina's sister is dating Mister De Tanga?"

Zelgadis shuddered. "Now that's a scary combination."

Amelia nodded her head in agreement.


	31. Chapter 23A

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three A, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

A person's dream can be a very scary thing. When humans dreamt the dreams they had were often chaotic. It was the mind's way of dealing the stresses of the day. In dreams we often dreamt of things that scared us or things we don't wish to face in reality. Sometimes they were things we desired but we don't ever let ourselves do or things that we feared the most.

Monsters do not need to sleep usually it was only the weaker ones that slept and dreamed. And it wasn't usually a matter of choice either. It was a matter of survival and that's all. And what monster would choose to sleep when they didn't have to? Dreams can be a very frightening place.

For a human dreams were chaotic. For a chaotic creature like a monster dreams were even worse.

Since monsters were evil creatures their 'nightmares' were anything but bad or scary. A monster's dreams were often filled with happy and joyful things like flowers, butterflies and smiling faces. It was agony for a monster. Unless you were a monster like De Tanga.

Sure De Tanga did have a bad dream or two occasionally but for the most part he enjoyed dreaming. It was a nice escape from his lonely isolated existence. Oh how many wonderful dreams he had in the past but they usually came at a price.

When you were persecuted by your own kind and often hunted down like a dog it was dangerous to sleep. Though dreams were wonderful when you were asleep there was little to stop someone from hurting you. Every time De Tanga went to sleep he put himself in harm's way. So dreaming was a luxury he didn't allow himself to have. Usually finding enough sources of food weren't too hard for a monster that feeds on positive emotions. Creating chaos, fear and anger sometimes was harder than making a happy environment. Often just saying a nice 'hello' was enough to put someone into bright spirits. So finding enough food to snack on for De Tanga shouldn't be too hard. But during times of war when the future seems bleak... those were the times were it was hardest to be positive. During war it wasn't just the mortals who starved, De Tanga was greatly affected. With so many people scared, angry and depressed it was a hard time to find sources of food. Even those few that held onto hope offered little sustenance for the monster.

Of course De Tanga could have snacked on negative emotions but it went against his morals. He decided long ago that he would never be like the other monsters. That and negative emotions tasted very bad to Deep Sea's priest.

So during those rare dangerous times De Tanga had no choice but to sleep. To De Tanga at least dying while in the rapture of a pleasant dream was a good way to go.

Since meeting Luna and staying in Zelphilia, De Tanga finally felt safe enough to sleep at night. Any monster that dared tread into the territory of the monster slayer was sure not live long enough to be any threat to De Tanga.

Being so far from Zelphilia De Tanga might have felt uneasy about sleeping in Filia's town. But with the monster slayer as your roommate it took away some of that fear. So even though De Tanga was sleeping on the floor he was quite content.

Unconsciously in his sleep De Tanga re-adjusted his hold on his bed mate before going back into a deep sleep. De Tanga was having a nice dream so there was no reason why he would sudden wake up at that moment. But when you go to bed alone and end up with someone else with you that was cause for alarm.

When De Tanga first woke he got confused. Had he crawled into bed with Luna while he was asleep? Or was it someone else he was snuggling in his sleep.?

On first inspection De Tanga was quick to see the purple crown of Luna's head. It was in fact Luna snuggled up to him. In fact it would seem that De Tanga was flat on his back with Luna sleeping on top of him. Her face was buried into that little space between De Tanga's neck and right shoulder.

This was alarming for De Tanga as he didn't remember how he got this way. But as alarming as it was he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of having a woman he desired so very much so close to him.

Doing a quick scan around of the room De Tanga noted he was still on the floor. And since it was unlikely that De Tanga would pick up Luna in his sleep and bring down to the floor with him, Luna probably joined him.

'Is Luna a sleepwalker?' De Tanga thought to himself afraid to move in fear of waking the slumbering monster slayer. In the event that Luna didn't consciously join him on the floor De Tanga didn't want to wake her. She was very clear the previous night that she would kill him if they ended up in bed together.

The last time De Tanga had been in this sort of a situation was when Luna and him got drunk. Though it's not as if De Tanga intended to have Luna wake up in his arms she still punished him for it.

But it was clearly Luna's fault this go around (and technically the last time was too as she suggested the drinking that lead to the sleeping arrangement.). De Tanga had no idea what he should do. How would Luna react?

Thankfully all the weapons Luna brought with her were out of arms reach. So even if she woke in a foul mood only her limbs could be used as a weapon. But even that prospect was a frightening one.

De Tanga debated on trying to move Luna via teleportation and get her back on the bed. Teleporting her wouldn't be the problem it would be getting out from under her. He couldn't teleport away unless he got her off him. So he'd still be stuck having to explain why Luna was laying on top of him. And if Luna woke up with the two of them in bed then De Tanga would really be dead.

While De Tanga was going over his options Luna was amused by his antics. When your bangs were very long it was very easy for someone to assume your eyes were closed when they were actually open. Luna was awake and had been when De Tanga woke up.

Luna had been drifting in and out of sleep when De Tanga woke and tensed arms and his hold on her. When he went as stiff as a board in fear Luna was really awake and aware of what was going on. And because of it she didn't let on that she was awake instead she feigned sleep. Mainly because she was enjoying watching De Tanga squirm.

_Earlier..._

When the pair had gone to sleep though De Tanga had protested sleeping on the floor he fell asleep right away. Sleep however eluded the monster slayer.

The thought did cross her mind that it was guilt keeping her from the sleep she so desired. That here she was on a nice comfy bed and De Tanga was on the hard floor. That was quashed almost as quickly as it sprouted.

Then Luna's mind travelled to several reasons to explain her sleeplessness. Perhaps it was the irritation of having her sister terrorizing plans cut short. Or maybe it was something she ate. Eventually Luna decided the bed was to blame.

Truthfully there wasn't anything wrong with the bed. It was a nice medium between soft and fir, and it was spacious to boot! Though the bedding looked boring it was soft and luxurious. And the pillows were perfect as well. The only real complaint one might have is that the bed was too perfect. There was nothing wrong with it at all!

But in Luna's mind she was sure the bed was to blame. The mattress felt lumpy and bedding was itchy. The pillows laid too flat with not enough support.

No matter which way she turned Luna couldn't get into a comfortable position. And seeing De Tanga sleeping so soundly on the flood didn't help Luna's mood.

Left and right Luna tossed and turned in vain as sleep still eluded her. She tossed and turned so much that she didn't realize how close to the edge she had become. Being so close to the edge it shouldn't have been too surprising when Luna fell off the bed. But it did surprise her and she landed on top of De Tanga in a loud thud.

Luna had tensed right after she landed. Surely that would have woken Deep Sea's priest. But as Luna slowly opened her eyes to peek she realized De Tanga had failed to stir. He was still very much asleep.

'He's still sleeping?' Luna thought to herself in amazement. Once the shock wore off Luna went to get off De Tanga. However the sleeping De Tanga had other ideas.

In his sleep the monster priest wrapped his arms around the monster slayer pulling her close to him. De Tanga smiled and he happily mumbled clearly having a nice dream.

Right away Luna panicked. What was she going to do? She couldn't stay like that the whole night! She had to get off him and back into bed! But try as she may Luna couldn't worm her way out of De Tanga's grasp. He held her too tightly. Luna was stuck and the only way she was getting out was to wake De Tanga.

As Luna mulled over her few options she found herself getting sleepier and sleepier. Something about being in De Tanga's arms felt safe and right. It was a million times more comfortable than the bed.

Luna tried to fight the urge but she lost that battle very quickly. And of to sleep she had went.

_Pressent..._

Now awake after a goodnight's rest Luna wondered how she should react to this situation. Should she blame it on De Tanga and hit him like last time? How could she spin this so it seemed like it was De Tanga's fault? And how was De Tanga going to react?

"I gave you two a large bed to sleep in and what do you do? Sleep on the floor. How shameful." Xellos commented sitting perched on top of a dresser.

Luna and De Tanga's eyes darted to the end of the room the voice was coming from. In doing so Luna revealed that she wasn't asleep.

Realizing her error Luna quickly looked to De Tanga. She saw fear in his slanted blue green eyes as he stared back at her.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" De Tanga demanded at Xellos while trying to regain his composure.

"Well it's very important the wedding party gets their fitting before the wedding. I've come to collect you." Xellos explained to his best friend. "But if you wish to have some morning nookie before hand I can wait." And with that Xellos phased off before De Tanga could even think of a comeback.

Both the monster priest and the monster slayer were wide eyed at Xellos' suggestion and blushing very red. Immediately they both scampered away from each other.

"Why were you sleeping on me for?" De Tanga eventually managed to squeak out once he got a hold of himself. His cheeks were still red though.

"I... fell off the bed." Luna explained feebly.

De Tanga just blinked in confusion. Luna's explanation was very flimsy. "Do I look stupid to you?" He spat out in disbelief.

"Well now that you mention it-"

"That was a rhetorical question! How could you fall off the bed? It's massive!" De Tanga motioned to the bed with his hands being very expressive in his gestures.

"I couldn't find a comfortable spot." Again Luna's explanation sounded flimsy. And the almost meek sounding voice didn't help her sell her story.

"This bed is probably the most comfortable bed in town! How could you not find a comfortable spot?"

"It's lumpy." Luna insisted.

"And I'm not?" De Tanga squeaked.

"Now that you mention it-"

"Still a rhetorical question!" De Tanga snapped. "So you couldn't sleep and you just decided to crawl off the bed and sleep on top of me?"

"No I fell off the bed and landed on you. It was quite a thump and you didn't even wake. I can't understand how you've managed to stay alive for so long if you're such a dead sleeper." Luna commented completely getting off track.

"So you fell on me and what couldn't get off?" De Tanga didn't know why he was making such a big deal about this. It's not like waking up with Luna all snuggled against him was a bad thing. He actually quite enjoyed it but that wasn't the point. This time it was Luna's fault and he was going to make sure she knew it.

"No I couldn't." Luna sported a rather evil smile.

"And why not?"

"You wouldn't let me."

'Damn.' De Tanga cursed. His arms had been around her when he woke. She couldn't get away from because he had been holding her in place. "You're going to kill me aren't you?"

Luna raised an eyebrow at De Tanga. "Tempting..." She looked him up and down and then glanced over at her weapons which had been haphazardly packed in a bag to the side. Not that she was seriously going to kill De Tanga but the prospect of trying to stab him a bit seemed like an amusing idea. But even better idea popped into Luna's brain. "Though we could do what he suggested."

De Tanga's eyes went wide in fear and confusion. "Who? And what?"

"Xellos said he'd wait until we're... _finished_."

At first De Tanga had to wrack his brain to remember what Xellos had said. And when he did he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Luna really suggesting they do _that_? "Lu-luna!"

"What's a matter?" Luna asked as she stalked closer to him. "It's what you've wanted right?"

De Tanga gulped as he backed up away from her. "Now Luna I know you're not really suggesting-" De Tanga paused mid sentence when his back hit the wall.

"You don't think I'm serious?" Luna traced her fingers up and down De Tanga's collar in mischievous delight.

De Tanga gulped again. Was Luna really serious? "I-I...I... don't know..." It wasn't as if he hadn't thought of the idea, hell he'd been dreaming about it before he woke up! He only got as far as kissing her and removing a couple articles of clothing before waking. Even in dreams that had been too intense which is why he woke. It was hard for him to wrap his head around the idea of kissing Luna Inverse. But this... this was way too much. So much that it frightened him. "Are you serious?" He dared ask.

"Of course not." Luna laughed as she backed up.

De Tanga glared at her. 'Of course she wasn't you big idiot!' De Tanga mentally berated himself. "You're an evil woman!"

"You think I would want to have sex with you when I haven't even agreed to dating yet?" Luna raised an eyebrow at him. "What sort of a woman do you think I am?"

De Tanga frowned. She did have a point. Truthfully he knew she was pulling his leg but a part of him was both scared and excited at the idea. And now he just felt disappointed. "I'm sorry."

Now it was Luna's turn to frown. "Oh god you're going to get mopey now? You're so pathetic." Luna rolled her eyes. "Do get this upset every time a girl turns you down?"

"Just the ones that lead me on."

"Oh come on you looked positively frightened of me. I had you backed into the wall."

"If I didn't like fear and terror do you think I would have stuck around you as long as I have?"

"And here I thought it was my charming smile." Luna smiled one of those trademark sinister smiles of hers.

"That too. And the feel of you snuggled up against me is pretty nice too." De Tanga returned Luna's smile.

"And now we're back to flirting? Already over your fears so quick?"

"I bounce back quickly." He took a step towards Luna. Knowing that she wasn't going to go through with it took away some of the fear for De Tanga. It made him feel bolder.

Oh how these two were maddening the way they danced around each other. Always challenging and trying to lead. Neither one dancing to the others pace, their rhythms syncopated and out of time with each other. One pushes the other pulls; one goes forward the other backs away. So as De Tanga went forward Luna wasn't going to have any of that. Watching these two really made you want to pull your hair out.

Luna put a hand forward to push De Tanga back and keep him at arm's length. She knew he was just bluffing. "Oh no, we're not playing this game right now; you've got to go to your fitting. Maybe later."

De Tanga frowned. "I got the tux weeks ago why would I need a fitting for it?"

"Did you try it on?"

"Well no..."

"Then you'd better get going before Xellos really thinks we're going at it like rabbits." Luna turned De Tanga around and pushed him towards the door.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" De Tanga protested feebly trying to fight Luna's pushing.

"Of course. Now go!" Luna shoved him out the door.

Luna slammed the door on a bewildered De Tanga in the hall.

"Lover's quarrel?" Xellos prompted getting up from the floor he had been sitting on.

"You know damned well we were only talking." De Tanga snapped at him as the two of them phased out of the inn.

"There was a roller coaster of emotions in that room. I must say De Tanga you have peculiar tastes. Why would you want to be involved with a woman who frightens you?" Xellos mused.

"Why would you want to be involved with a woman who is always trying to beat you to a pulp with a mace?" De Tanga countered.

"Pain is a lovely thing."

De Tanga just rolled his eyes. Even though Xellos was annoying he was right. As long as the pain came from the right person of course.

Oh what disturbing creatures monsters are.

_(Author's Notes: Wooo-hoo day 89! Though not too far into it but you all know I'm going to drag out this day real looooooooooong. It is the wedding day after all. So many things to happen that I need to write. It's funny I told myself Just Waiting wouldn't be longer than Mind Games. How wrong am I? This story is a monster! It's already long enough to be a novel. Strange...)_


	32. Chapter 23B

_Author's Notes: I wrote this in a hotel room in Abbotsford with only a handful of broken hours sleep. I'm surprised it even makes sense at all. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three B, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

Filia hummed to herself as she got up that morning. She was in a good mood, but it was her wedding day after all. Her beautiful wedding dress hung in her closet safely covered by a garment bag. Looking at the beautiful albeit covered dress Filia couldn't help but smile. Oh how she looked forward to wearing it. When she had seen the dress in the boutique originally she knew it was the one. Almost all wedding dresses needed to be altered for a bride however this dress was an exception. For whatever reason it fit her perfectly. It really seemed like it had really been specially made for her.

She may have had reservations about the man she was going to marry but Filia couldn't be surer of the dress.

Since the groom wasn't to see the bride Filia had insisted Xellos get a room at the inn while she staying in her home. Not that Xellos would have stayed at Filia's home anyway but Filia didn't want Xellos to show his face at her home before the wedding. Initially Xellos had tried to fight Filia on this decision but she eventually got him to 'agree'. It was doubtful that Xellos would stay away entirely. Especially when Xellos insisted that with his eyes usually closed he couldn't 'see' her anyway. Filia didn't care, she forbid him to come near. To make sure Xellos didn't see her Filia had some extra insurance. Since the inn was so overbooked with guests and Filia had so much room in her home Filia had insisted Gravos and Jilas would stay with her.

Filia almost floated down the stairs clad in her robe and pyjamas. She was in a happy daze which was heightened by the smell of cooking food. To her surprise and delight she found Gravos, Jilas and Val cooking up breakfast and it smelled really good!

"Oh my! The three of you are making breakfast?" Filia commented happily making her presence known in the kitchen.

"Dats right boss!" Jilas exclaimed. "Take a seat it's almost done."

"I feel spoiled." Filia murmured as she sat down and Val poured her a cup of tea.

"Well yous been stressed so much these past few weeks. We thought that you'd enjoy this." Gravos explained while he put food out on the table.

"It's only been stressful because that fruitcake Xellos is making it stressful." Val commented with a frown. "Are you having second thoughts Mom?" Val wondered with just a hint of hope in his voice. "Because we can still call off this stupid wedding."

Filia rolled her eyes. "Val for the last time stop it! I'm not cancelling the wedding!"

The three men all sprouted sweatdrops.

"Well then... who'd you decide on for your maid of honour?" Gravos asked somewhat trying to change the subject.

Filia could have almost smacked herself. She had intended to talk Val about this before but completely forgot. "About that... Val-honey I have a favour to ask you." Her voice was extra sweet.

Val frowned. Usually when his foster mother had that tone it was because she wanted him to do something he wouldn't want to do. "What is it?"

"I know you were going to give me away at the wedding and it's not traditional but... would you be my man of honour instead?"

"You mean like be your best man? You aren't going to make me wear a dress are you?" Val asked frowning.

"Of course not! Though since De Tanga is Xellos' best man you would have to walk down the aisle with him." Filia explained.

"As long as I don't have to hold his hand or arm then I'm okay with it. But who would walk you down the aisle and give you away?"

"Actually I was hoping that maybe Gravos and Jilas could."

The two men's eyes lit up. "Of course we can boss!" The pair exclaimed in unison.

Filia had to laugh at their quick response.

...

While the foursome happily ate their breakfast downstairs, upstairs something was afoot. The garment bag that housed Filia's beautiful wedding dress was gone and so was the dress.

...

"I still don't see why I have to go to a fitting!" De Tanga protest as the two went to the tailors with De Tanga tux. Luna had kicked him out without the tux so De Tanga had to covertly sneak back in to grab the garment. Which had been dangerous since Luna was changing.

"Did you try it on?" Xellos mused with a strange smile.

"Well no. But it should fit as you do know my size after all." De Tanga rationalized.

"Really? Perhaps I might have gotten it wrong by a number or two."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. He really should have expected this. Of course the tux was the wrong size. "I don't understand why you're these things to potentially sabotaging your wedding." He grumbled. "Are you unconsciously trying to stop or delay the wedding? Or are you doing this because you're having second thoughts?"

"No of course not." Xellos insisted though it was dubious as to whether or not it was completely sincere.

Inside the tailors Filia's two bridesmaids and Xellos' two groomsmen were getting their fittings. And by the looks of the wedding parties and tailor's face it was clear it wasn't going well.

"If you weren't a powerful monster I'd kill you with my scissors!" The tailor screamed at Xellos waving his measuring tape in the air.

"So I take it everything is fitting well?" Xellos mused.

The tailor mumbled a few choice words before going back to fixing the shortness of Zelgadis' pants.

De Tanga sighed as he pulled out his tux from his garment bag. He didn't have high hopes that his tux would fit. On first inspection the jacket and shirt seemed wider than De Tanga's normal size. But it was only wide on the top part. It tapered around the stomach area. It looked like it was made for a very fit muscular man.

'This would probably look nice on Lev.' De Tanga thought to himself as he got into the changing room to try the tux on.

To De Tanga's surprise the shirt and jacket weren't too loose on him. At first De Tanga didn't understand this. It was too big, how could it fit? The mirror answered this question.

Though a monster De Tanga's 'human' appearance was affect by his physical status. Since he started working at the Devil's Spoon Luna had been working him very hard. He had developed some really nice muscles. He wasn't as big as Leviathan though it did suit De Tanga and he couldn't help but admire his appearance in the mirror. Granted the top half of the tux looked good the pants were a bit too long, but that was an easy fix.

"How do I look?" De Tanga posed the question to everyone when he came out of the changing room.

The tailor had a frown on his face as he looked over De Tanga. But the frown quickly turned into an approving smile. "I'll just need to bring up the pant leg and you'll be good to go. Which I can't say the same for the others." That smile that had graced the tailor's lips now back to being a frown as he went back to work on the other's clothing.

Though the tailor had seemed happy with the fit of De Tanga's tux Xellos wasn't. He had expected the tux not to fit and was disappointed to see it did. "Did you change your form just to fit in the tux?" Xellos eyed him suspiciously.

"If I did don't you think I would have made my legs longer so the pants would fit?" De Tanga questioned him back while admiring his reflection in the mirror.

"Why are you suddenly so muscular?" Xellos wouldn't admit it but a small part of him was little jealous and for good reason too. The groom should be the best looking at the wedding and not be upstaged by his best man. And De Tanga did look good.

"Try working for Luna Inverse for a few months and let's see how you look." De Tanga shot back rather pleased with himself.

Lina flinched at the sound of her scary older sister's name, which wasn't a good idea since her dress was littered with pins. After her night hysterics Lina finally came to terms with the fact that Luna was in town. And she was fine with that as long as Luna didn't come within fifteen feet of her. "You work for my sister?" Lina dared ask. Her voice was small and soft almost mouse like. This was not like Lina at all.

"Yeah I work for her at the restaurant with your family." De Tanga explained.

"You work at 'The Devil's Spoon'?" Lina repeated still having trouble grasping facts.

"Yes that's right. I'm a waiter." De Tanga stated rather proudly.

"A monster... In my city... working at the restaurant..." Lina muttered to herself. "How? How are you alive? Has my sister gone insane?"

De Tanga frowned. "No your sister is as sane as she would be normally."

"But you're a monster! My sister hates monsters!" Lina insisted.

"Well she made an exception for me." De Tanga huffed feeling a little insulted.

"What the hell makes you so special? She can't be scared of you."

"So now I'm not special and threatening at all?" De Tanga was definitely insulted now.

"That's right." Xellos agreed.

De Tanga glared at him. "You stay out of this."

"And you're here... with her..." Lina realized talking out loud. Though it was a simple statement and not an actual question it was filled with much subtext.

"Yes." De Tanga answered curtly. He could have gone into a long explain as to how he ended up coming to the wedding with Luna in tow. But at this point De Tanga was annoyed and not feeling much like having to explain himself.

"You're here with her... and she didn't kill you for setting foot in Zelphilia... are you and her... a thing?" Though it seemed like the most clear and logical answer Lina couldn't believe it. Her sister dating a monster, it seemed ludicrous.

"I work for your sister." De Tanga clarified.

"But you're involved with each other." Lina re-clarified. It was the only thing that made any sort of sense.

"I _just_ work for your sister." Again De Tanga had to correct her. Granted he wanted desperately to be dating Luna he wasn't about to tell Lina that. She had been putting his character and abilities to question. And he was a man after all, with a normal man sized ego. Which was currently suffering a good sized bruising.

"I caught the two of them in bed together." Xellos piped up.

"You're having sex with my sister?" Lina's voice cracked into a high pitched squeak.

"No! I'm not having sex with your sister! I was sleeping on the floor and she had fallen off the bed! The only thing that was going on in that room last night was sleeping, that's all!" De Tanga almost yelled in frustration.

"It's true they didn't have sex last night." Xellos admitted. "But I did leave the room this morning after I caught them so they could."

"Oh shut up!" De Tanga snapped at him. "You know damned well we were only talking after you left!"

"I've never sensed that sort of mixture of emotions for just a discussion before." Xellos mused innocently. "And you did take quite a long time."

"Didn't you say you brought a date to the wedding? So you consider Luna your date." Zelgadis added remembering the things De Tanga had said the previous day. "And the two of you were eating together at that restaurant."

"Also you did get Miss Luna to not kill Miss Lina last night. If you two weren't involved shouldn't she have killed you for that?" Amelia wondered out loud.

"It would seem that my dear De Tanga has fallen head over heels in love with Miss Lina's older sister." Xellos observed.

"If you marry Lina's older sister then you'd be Lina's brother-in-law!" Gourry exclaimed joining in the conversation.

"I'm not marrying Luna! I'm not even dating her yet!" De Tanga was almost shouting at the top of his lungs. He was so frustrated that he didn't even realize his slip up.

However the others did. "Yet?" They all prompted him at the exact same time, even the tailor who really had very little to do with this conversation in the first place.

"OH SHUT UP! I HATE YOU ALL!" De Tanga screamed out in frustration.

...

Though the wedding wouldn't be till well after lunchtime there was no reason for Filia to put on her wedding dress quite so early. But after getting washed up Filia just couldn't fight the urge to go into her closet and put the dress on. Of course she should make sure if the dress still fit before the wedding. That was extremely important. However it was doubtful it would fit any different than when she had tried it on the previous day.

In fact Filia had tried her dress on everyday in the morning since she brought it home. After breakfast before she would change into her clothes she would first try on the dress. She would spend almost a half hour admiring herself in the mirror before actually getting dressed for the day.

Because it was her wedding day there was no reason why she would deny herself of this daily ritual? However it seemed someone else mean to as the dress wasn't in her closet like it was supposed to be. It was gone!

...

Downstairs in the living room Val, Gravos and Jilas were playing a nice game of cards. It had been a quiet game until the three men heard a blood curdling scream from upstairs.

Without a moment's hesitation the trio raced up the stairs to find the source of the screams. What they found was Filia crumpled into a ball on the floor by her closet. She wasn't screaming anymore, as her screams had been replaced by sobs.

"Mom what's wrong?" Val rushed to his foster mother's side.

"My dress!" She mumbled in between chocking sobs. "Someone took my wedding dress!"


	33. Chapter 23C

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three C, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

It was when Xellos and the wedding party came out of the tailor's shop when they came face to face with the young ancient dragon. Val was storming his way over to them with a more than pissed expression on his face.

"Oh there's Val over there." De Tanga commented.

"He looks mad." Amelia added with an unconscious shiver. "Who do you think he's mad at?"

"Maybe he got his memory back and finally wants to get his revenge on Lina." Zelgadis mused with a dark chuckle.

Lina glared at Zelgadis and seriously debated jabbing him in the stomach. "Oh shut up he's clearly mad at Xellos."

"Me? Whatever would young Val be mad at me for?" Xellos exclaimed with his voice filled with false innocence.

"XELLOS!" Val screamed as he got within a few blocks of them.

"See told ya!" Lina blew Xellos a raspberry.

"Good morning Val." Xellos greeted Val in a sugary sweet voice as the ancient dragon approached them.

Right away Val grabbed Xellos by the collar and gave him a good shake. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He yelled at him.

"Lots of things." Zelgadis responded right away. "Should I list them?"

Val shot Zelgadis a quick glare before fixated back on Xellos. The glare was so intense that Xellos almost felt the dragon's eyes burning holes through him.

"Now, now Val what is the matter? Surely I've done nothing to cause _you_ to be so cross with me." Xellos tried to appease the dragon.

It didn't work.

"I'm cross with you because you're an idiot!" Val screamed once more while shoving Xellos to the ground. "I don't know how the hell you managed to get Mom to agree to marry you, but all you've done since getting engaged was causing her one problem or another. I thought I'd see it all from you, I didn't think there was any way for you to surprise me. But this... this is low even for you!" Val spat out with much venom.

"What did he do Val?" De Tanga interjected hoping to get some information before Val decided to kill Xellos.

"He made her cry!" Val screamed ready to kick the annoying monster priest.

Now De Tanga had to join the hate bandwagon. "Xellos! You made Filia cry? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Xellos got up and dusted himself off. His eyes were open but they lacked his normal sinister malice. Instead confusion dominated Greater Beast's general priest's eyes as he looked on at Val. "I have no clue as to what you are talking about. But why was Filia crying?" He may be confused but for someone to make Filia cry would mean that they harmed his property. This did not settle well with him.

"Don't pretend like you don't know!" Val sneered at him. "You took it. It had to be you!"

"What did Xellos take?" Lina piped up wondering just what could have been taken from Filia to make her cry.

"You didn't take... 'liberties' with Miss Filia?" Amelia dared ask. "Because you should wait until you're married!"

"AHHHHHHHH! Don't put those images in my head!" Val screamed grabbing his head as if to force those thoughts out of his mind.

"I wouldn't mind taking some... 'liberties' with my dear Filia." Xellos mused with a slight chuckle.

"You're not going to marry my Mother because I'm going to kill you first!" Val screamed ready to lunge at the offending monster.

De Tanga held Val at bay trying in vain to calm him. "Val explain what exactly you think Xellos did. Because as it is we have no idea what you are talking about."

"Fine." Val huffed as he got away from De Tanga's grasp. "Mom, Uncle Gravos, Uncle Jilas and I were having breakfast together at the house. Everything was going well, food was good no stupid Xellos bothering us... Mom was even in a good mood. So then after breakfast Mom went to go get dressed while Uncle Jilas, Uncle Gravos and I played cards. No one came into the house from the time we got up to the time Mom went to go change. But somehow someone managed to sneak their way into her room upstairs and steal her wedding dress!"

Right away Lina and Amelia's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Miss Filia's dress? How horrible! Mister Xellos why would you do such a thing?" Amelia exclaimed in horror.

"Yeah that's low..." Lina agreed while shaking her head.

"Why would Xellos take Filia's dress for? Doesn't he want to marry her?" Gourry wondered confused by the situation. "And she was really happy about that dress too."

"Yeah I think the only reason why she's marrying Xellos is so that she can wear that dress." Zelgadis added.

Xellos wasn't amused by any of this. "Someone stole my Filia's wedding dress?"

"Your Filia? My mother is not a possession!" Val yelled.

"Yes she is she belongs to me." Xellos clarified. "And anyone who makes _my _Filia cry deserves to die."

"You're the one that took the dress!" Val yelled. "Don't try and foot the blame to someone else!"

"Val when did your mother notice the dress was gone?" De Tanga interrupted.

"Less than an hour ago. Right after breakfast." Val explained while still glaring at Xellos.

"And when did she see it last?"

"Right before breakfast."

De Tanga frowned. "I'm sorry to say this Val, but Xellos didn't take the dress."

"What? How can you defend him?" Val exclaimed in shock.

"It's not about defending it's about fact. I've been with him for the past couple hours. It's very unlikely that he could have teleported off to steal the dress without my knowing about it." De Tanga explained.

"Yeah that's right we've been in the tailor's with Xellos all this time. We haven't even had breakfast yet." Gourry's stomach grumbled as if to agree with Gourry.

"Well if he didn't who did?" Val grumbled.

...

Luna was off to get some breakfast when she overheard a conversation between some of the city's notorious gossips.

"Did you hear? Filia's dress is gone!" One woman said to another.

"Really?" The other woman gasped. "Her beautiful wedding dress?"

"That's right! Isn't that horrible? How could someone steal a bride's wedding dress on the day of her wedding?"

"I would have taken that dress myself. It was gorgeous." The woman admitted with a dreamy smile. No doubt the woman was imaging herself wearing that exact same dress. "Who do you think took it?"

"Well her slimy fiancé Xellos is most likely. As apparently there was no way for someone to sneak into Filia's room without either teleporting or climbing the outside wall."

"Probably a monster then." The other woman agreed. "Dragons can teleport too right? Maybe Val took it? He didn't seem too happy about his mother marrying Xellos."

"Right now Val is screaming at Xellos for stealing Filia's dress. So I doubt it."

Luna tuned out the conversation and opted to eat later. There was a crisis going on that demanded her attention.

...

"How do I know you didn't take the dress? Maybe you're just trying to shift the blame to me so to take suspicions away from yourself." Xellos accused Val.

"Uncle Gravos and Uncle Jilas were with me the whole time!" Val defended himself.

"How convenient that neither of them are here to confirm your story." Xellos narrowed his eyes at Val.

"They are with Mom right now trying to calm her down. And you clearly took it you fruit cake! Who else but a monster could sneak into upstairs into the room without being noticed? Obviously it has to be someone who can teleport." Val fumed.

"How about we go and investigate?" De Tanga suggested. "Perhaps we can find some clues as to where the dress is?"

There was general consensus that De Tanga's suggestion was a good one. But before they could make and decisions as to what exactly they were going to do Xellos teleported them all to Filia's home. The group ended up standing in Filia's living room right before Gravos, Jilas and Filia.

"Xellos? What are you doing here?" Gravos exclaimed in shock.

"I've come to make my Filia feel better." Xellos took a step forward but Gravos and Jilas got in between him and Filia.

"Val told us about the dress." De Tanga explained. "We're here to see if we can figure anything out."

"Well why the hell did you bring 'em here for? He can't see da boss before they wed. It's bad luck!" Gravos demanded.

"Who cares if it's bad luck. This marriage is a sham marriage anyway." Val muttered.

"I can't see her. My eyes are closed." Xellos pointed to his face. And in fact Xellos' eyes were 'closed'.

"Xellos go away you raw garbage!" Filia yelled from behind Gravos and Jilas. Though she was facing in Xellos' direction she was trying not to look at him.

Xellos phased out and phased in right behind Filia and grabbed her from behind. "I do love it when you talk dirty to me." He whispered in her ear. "Makes it hard for me to wait till after the wedding to bed you. In fact why even wait?"

Grabbing her mace tucked away under her skirt Filia swung it blindly trying to hit Xellos. "Get away from me you slimy bastard!"

"More dirty words? You tease..."

Val and De Tanga both cringed and shook their heads.

"Xellos let's look for the dress and not pester Filia into killing you." De Tanga phased out to behind Xellos and dragged him away from her.

...

While De Tanga, Xellos and the gang were investigating at Filia's house Luna was doing her own sort of an investigation. Except unlike the others she had a pretty darn good idea who the culprit was that stole Filia's dress. It was only a matter of where to find her.

Since the thief in question had a very particular job/pastime so it wasn't too hard to guess where Luna might find her. So right away Luna started off with all the restaurants and cafes to see if they had hired any new cooks or chefs recently. But it didn't matter which one she went to she got the same answer, no one new. Luna was about to lose hope when as she was walking through town she sensed a strange energy. It was coming from just outside the town in the nearby forest area.

With no other leads to follow Luna found herself heading towards the source of the energy. With the town behind her she approached the source of the strange energy. It looked like a large thin circular disc that stood upright. The disc was reflective like a mirror but it rippled like a pool of water.

Rather than timidly approach the mirrored surface Luna boldly stepped through it. Why would she be timid when she knew what it was? The surface was of course a teleportation portal. It was door that bended space and time so when you went in it you would come out in a completely different location.

Once Luna stepped foot out of the portal at first it didn't seem like she had gone anywhere. She was surrounded by trees, which she had been in the first place. But if you took a better look at the surroundings you would see that the formation and variety of trees were different. And there was the very fact that Filia's town was behind Luna, but a restaurant instead.

A large sign hung high above the door told Luna exactly where she was. This little fact probably should have surprised Luna but strange it just made sense. Even though the sign in the window said closed Luna went right in anyway.

Two floating ball creatures where there to greet Luna as she entered.

"Pwado-boo." _(I'm sorry we're closed.) _The frosty blue spiky creature said to Luna.

"Pidoma sai." _(We'll be open in a couple hours.) _The red fireball creature added.

Lina blinked in confusion as she stood there. She knew they we're talking in a language she should understand but she knew exactly what they were saying. "I'm not here to eat. I'm here to talk to your boss."

Both creatures looked at each other having a wordless discussion. It seemed like the two came to an agreement as they both nodded motioned for Luna to follow them.

Luna frowned as she did so as she didn't even know what to make of the pair. They both seemed to be of opposing natures, one fire, one ice but the same at the same time. Luna had seen many creatures in her day. And she had studied even more but never had she heard of or seen such creatures. It got worse as they passed by the kitchen. Chopping away in angry fury was yet another strange creature Luna had never seen before. This one was short, small and covered in green fur. Its' ears were long and pointed and it had a large dark red garnet adorning its' forehead. It spoke in human tongue cursing the very food it was chopping the crap out of. If Luna didn't have a mission on her mind she might have stopped to study the creature.

The two creatures lead Luna out the back door of the restaurant. Instead of the woods Luna expected to see she instead found herself on a beautiful beach. Looking behind her Luna didn't see the restaurant she had just walked out of. Instead she just saw more sand, and another teleportation portal. "Looks like she's got all them all over the place." Luna muttered to herself as she walked down the beach to the lone woman fishing on a pier. The only sounds that rose to Luna's ears were the crashing sounds of the waves and the occasional cawing of seagulls dying on the wind. The beach seemed to be as tranquil as it was beautiful. The kind of place one thought heaven would be like. Too bad all this beauty was lost on Luna as she solely focused on that fisherwoman.

The woman at the pier was dressed in light blue robes which complimented her long dark blue hair. Luna didn't need to see the woman's eyes to know that they were slanted and the same light blue as the robes she wore. Out of habit Luna drew her sword as she approached the woman.

"I wondered when you'd come." The woman giggled in delight.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Luna asked trying to suppress her already growing agitation.

"Why yes my favourite I do." The fisherwoman put her rod down and turned around. She smiled warmly at Luna though nothing about it seemed inviting or proper.

Luna frowned as she stared down the imposing insanity that was Deep Sea Dolphin.


	34. Chapter 23D

_Author's Notes: I'm very sick right now so I didn't feel like proof reading this. Sorry for any laughable errors. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three D, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

As Luna stood there before Deep Sea Dolphin she couldn't help but remember the first time she had come face to face with the insane monster lord.

_She had been quite young, and still building her reputation as a monster slayer. Luna had just come back home after a recent adventuring trip when she heard of a monster in her city. She was still high from the thrill of her last adventure that there was no way she turn her back on this potential danger and let someone else deal with it. So with the massive blade of her great-great uncle Ra in her hand Luna went to face this evil._

_Luna hadn't been sure what she was going to be facing as she went to where this supposed monster was. She hadn't been able to get much information about the monster as only a few of her fellow townsfolk had briefly spotted the monster quickly teleporting around the city. The only information Luna had managed to get was that the monster appeared to be female and had stopped at the lake. _

_On the trek to the lake Luna felt the nerves in her stomach tightened. This wasn't the first monster Luna had gone up against. She had slain many before but they had been hapless minions at best. This monster was different, Luna could feel it. The closer she got the lake the more she could sense the evil. This monster was stronger... much stronger than she had ever faced._

_There was a small droplet of doubt coursing through her veins that was building into a full icy river inside of Luna. This wasn't like her; Luna rarely doubted herself. But she couldn't help it. This was something very wrong with this picture._

_Blitz had been more than ready to take on this unknown evil but Luna had decided for him. Her father was getting over being sick with the flu so there was no way Luna was going to let her father fight. But as she got close to the lake she had to wonder if that was a bad decision._

_Standing looking over at the lake the woman stood. Dressed in robes of light blue with her long dark blue tresses blowing in the wind she didn't seem to be aware of the approaching monster slayer. The woman's slanted light blue eyes were clouded as she looked out at the lake. As if she was lost in thoughts of memories past. It was a moment of sad clarity for those light blue eyes as the tears threatened to spill at any moment. To anyone who knew this particular monster they would find this odd and would probably be very frightened. _

_Ra's sword normally very heavy and large wasn't a weight that normally strained Luna's arm. But going against this opponent the weight of the blade almost seemed too much. Luna's arm trembled as she held her sword up. So much so that she needed to use both hands to steady her grip. "You have a lot of nerve coming here of all places." Luna tried to bellow out sounding as big and imposing as she could. However her voice was a ghost of her normal fearlessness. _

_That moment of sad clarity the in the blue haired eyes fled as quickly as the insanity set in. She turned to face Luna and giggled with much mirth. "This place is so pretty how could I stay away?"_

_As Luna starred those wild slanted light blue eyes she realized just who was standing before her. Deep Sea Dolphin, the monster lord whose name was synonymous with lunacy. Very powerful and very unpredictable. It was this element of chaos that made Deep Sea Dolphin so dangerous. No one knew what she would do or what mood was ready to strike her. "And since when do monster lords take the time to sight see?" _

_Deep Sea giggled some more. "All the time. This place..." Deep Sea looked back out to the lake. "Reminds me of that place... His place..." Her eyes flashed between the madness that ordinarily took them to that strange sense of sad calm. But it was short lived as she turned back to Luna with more disturbing giggles. "Now who might you be?"_

"_Your executioner." Luna stated rather matter-of-factly. Her voice was cold and solid like a rock which was a sharp contrast to the shaking of her limbs. _

_Deep Sea Dolphin roared with laughter. "I know that sword. The previous two owners of it died horrible deaths."_

_Luna narrowed her eyes at the monster lord. She didn't respond as she knew it was true. There was a very good chance that the large sword was cursed. Nether less Luna wasn't about to give up the blade she gripped onto so tightly._

"_Fear yet determination. Such a... lovely mix." Deep Sea mumbled fondly._

_Luna brought up her sword ready to lunge at the monster lord._

_Deep Sea let out another unstable laugh before disappearing and reappearing behind Luna. "I've decided you are my favourite human." Deep Sea decided affectionately while petting Luna on the head._

_Luna swung almost blindly at the monster behind her but Deep Sea Dolphin was already gone._

Standing there with Deep Sea Dolphin by the pier reminded Luna of that day she met the monster lord. It had made her so mad that Deep Sea had made 'a fool' out of Luna. And Luna had sworn that if she ever had the chance to fight Deep Sea Dolphin again she would not just fight the monster, she would kill her. But that was before, before she had met him. Before De Tanga. Now standing there Luna felt conflicted and confused. "You still call me your favourite?" Luna posed the question to the blue haired woman.

Deep Sea Dolphin smiled. "Of course I am yet to meet a human as interesting as you."

"Is that why you sent him to Zelphilia?"

That question struck a nerve in Deep Sea as she no longer able to look Luna in the eye. Instead Deep Sea averted her gaze back to the sea. Her light blue eyes took a different quality as she looked out at the water. "He was in pain..." Her voice trailed off to faraway places her mind already was at.

"And you thought I could help with that." Luna prompted her.

"Zelphilia is like his home..." Again Deep Sea trailed off until she truly grasped what Luna had just said. "Help him? Have you been helping him?"

"Where did you put it?" Luna asked a question of her own rather than answer Deep Sea's.

Deep Sea frowned. "Oh poo! And here I thought we could have fun with some girl talk before getting down to business. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Luna shuddered at the suggestion. "We're not friends nor would we have any reason to 'catch up'. I'm here because you took a dress that didn't belong to you. In fact I was going to eat breakfast but I had to come here instead because you stole Filia's wedding dress."

"The pretty canary stole his heart..." Deep Sea muttered almost incoherently. "I could make you something to eat. Or that green thing that stays in my kitchen."

Given that Luna was in Inverse after all she had to pause there for a moment at the suggestion of breakfast. Especially when her stomach was being so vocal about the subject. But as much as she wanted to give into her stomachs demands she was there on a mission after all. "Where's the dress?"

"If the canary can't ruffle her feathers then how can she sing?" There Deep Sea went talking in half riddles again.

Though Luna wasn't intending to use the sword in her hand she was sorely tempted to. It was very unlikely to ever have a straight conversation with Deep Sea Dolphin but Luna was losing her patience. "Canary? You mean Filia. You took her dress so she couldn't marry Xellos. Why would you want to stop the wedding?"

"She hurt my son."

Luna frowned. Monsters were known for their possessiveness and from the stories De Tanga had told her about his master Luna was aware that Deep Sea was very protective of him. "So? It's completely over between them. Do you think De Tanga would come to a wedding to watch a woman he loved marry someone else if he still thought there was a chance?"

Now it was Deep Sea's turn to frown. "Seeing the canary ruffle her feathers will hurt him."

"Well he's a big boy and maybe sometimes he's stupid but he still needs to learn to live on his own."

"Why does the infamous monster slayer Luna Inverse want to see the golden canary and the purple priest get married?"

Again Luna chose to avoid the monster lord's question. "Where's the dress?"

"Did the canary hire to make sure she could sing in peace?"

"Where's the dress?" Luna almost growled at her.

Deep Sea Dolphin put down her rod and grabbed Luna on the shoulder. The monster lord teleported them back to the restaurant.

Luna cringed as the two of them phased back in. Oh how she hated teleporting.

"The canary may sing her song but it will fall on deaf ears." Deep Sea Dolphin warned her as she pulled out the garment bag with Filia's dress in it out of a closet.

Luna wasn't sure what Deep Sea meant by that statement but she took the dress anyway. "You pull a stunt like this again I will kill you." Luna warned her.

"I'll look forward to that." Deep Sea flashed her a disturbing smile.

Luna just shook her head as she walked out of the restaurant.

...

While Gravos, Jilas and Val tried to calm Filia down the others had been searching Filia's room. But searching the room had only confirmed what they had already known. The only way someone got into the room and stole the dress was by teleportation. So that left De Tanga and the Slayers crew to search outside the house.

"With teleportation being the only way the culprit must be either a monster or a dragon. But unless there's an abundance of higher dragons around that I don't know about it's probably a monster." Lina surmised as they all talked.

"What monsters would want to stop the wedding?" Gourry wondered.

Lina rolled her eyes. "Seriously Gourry? Try the whole entire monster race!"

"Well it's not too big of a stretch that Gourry would ask that. All the monsters we've met are either here to watch the wedding or dead." Zelgadis reminded Lina.

"That's true." Lina mumbled. "But this is annoying not knowing who the thief is. I have no idea how we're going to figure this out!"

"Thank the gods I'm not stupid like you all are." A very firm and icy voice sounded as the owner of it walked towards them.

As everyone snapped their heads in the direction of voice Lina shrieked and hid behind Gourry and Zelgadis. This seemed to be a common feeling as most found themselves backing up. Just Xellos and De Tanga stood their ground.

"Luna?" De Tanga walked towards Luna to meet her halfway. He shot her a confused smile as he got closer.

Luna might have returned that smile had she not been so hungry. Instead she just frowned as she re-adjusted the hold of the garment bag she had draped across her shoulder.

"Is that what I think it is?" De Tanga wondered with a hopeful tone to his voice.

"If you mean Filia's wedding dress, then yes."

"Lina's older sister stole the dress? Is she a monster?" Gourry asked with a shiver.

"It wouldn't surprise me!" Lina squeaked from behind the guys.

Luna glared at the group causing them to backup further. "I'm not a monster you damned idiots!"

"And you didn't steal the dress." De Tanga added more so hoping it was the truth.

"No I didn't."

"Who had it?" Xellos stepped closer to ask the infamous monster slayer.

"Just a monster hiding out outside of the town. Apparently both you and Filia have made some enemies." Luna answered rather cryptically while throwing the dress at Xellos. She then grabbed De Tanga by the arm to drag him off. "We're leaving." She announced.

"To go where?"

"To eat. I'm starving." Luna declared while almost completely dragging De Tanga across the ground.

...

A little while later Luna and De Tanga were sitting at a restaurant table eating breakfast. Most of the other patrons in the restaurant were appalled by how much food the purple haired woman was eating. And so was the restaurant staff. They were all aware of Lina Inverse's eating reputation but they had no idea Luna was just as bad as or worse than her little sister. But then again Luna didn't advertise who she was anyway.

De Tanga was feeling hungry but was only occasionally nibbling on the few items he had on his plate. Mortal food didn't really give him much sustenance as it was but the not so positive emotions flying around weren't providing much of a meal. Not that it mattered too much, De Tanga's mind was too preoccupied to think about his 'stomach'. His mind was cluttered with thoughts of the possible identity of the dress thief. De Tanga wanted to ask his dining companion but he knew he wasn't going to get some answers from her until after she finished eating.

Luna could feel De Tanga's eyes on her as she ate. It wasn't uncommon for people to stare at her while she ate, it happened all the time in fact. But something about De Tanga staring at her at that moment was annoying her. "Would you stop that?" Luna finally snapped after swallowing a large amount of food.

"Doing what?"

"Staring!" Luna growled.

The people in the restaurant responded rather quickly to that forceful demand and averted their gazes. However their eyes weren't the ones that were bothering her.

"Was I?" De Tanga wondered out loud. He hadn't realized he had been doing it. "Sorry."

"It was her you know." Luna stated rather flatly as she continued with her meal.

"Her?" De Tanga had to question. He hadn't asked Luna a question so he was confused as to what this answer was to.

"The one who stole the dress. It was her." Luna explained.

This confused De Tanga even more. "I have no idea who you're talking about." He admitted.

Luna almost dropped her eating utensils to glare at De Tanga. "Seriously? You have no idea who could have wanted to steal the dress? Gods you're stupider than my sister!"

De Tanga tried to think hard of a female monster who would Filia and Xellos would have enemies with but in truth he was too hungry to form proper thoughts. "I'm too hungry to think."

"Then eat your food!" Luna barked at him.

"I'm not that kind of hungry."

Luna raised an eyebrow at him. She did a quick scan of the restaurant and realized why there were so much slim pickings. Luna had scared everyone in the restaurant. Secretly this pleased Luna. "You slept last night. So why are you suddenly is such bad shape?"

"Sleeping can't completely replace feeding. And I haven't exactly been feeding too much as it is lately. Most of the people in town aren't exactly too happy." De Tanga stated rather pathetically.

Luna couldn't help but smile at him. "Oh you poor little baby." Luna petted him on the head in a condensing voice.

De Tanga glared at her. "You just love kicking me when I'm down don't you?"

Luna in turn roared with laughter. "Of course."

As much as he was annoyed with Luna's condensing manners he was grateful for the happy emotions albeit almost sinister ones coming from Luna. "So who was it?"

"Your master."

De Tanga almost smack his head. Why didn't he think of that first? "You're kidding me... how did you get it back?"

"I asked her and she gave it back." Luna said simply.

"And she just gave it back without any protest or fight?" De Tanga found this hard to believe.

"Well I am her favourite after all."

'Favourite?' De Tanga thought to himself. He had wondered what sort of reaction his master might have to the prospect of him dating the famed monster slayer. He had figured that his master would be displeased with him. Now he wasn't so sure. "Since when are you her favourite?"

"Since always." Luna smiled as she almost swallowed a muffin whole.

"But I'm her favourite." De Tanga protested.

"Well I'm prettier."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "All joking aside this isn't a good thing if my master is still causing trouble for Filia and Xellos."

"You could talk to her, but I doubt that will do any good." Luna advised De Tanga while stealing food from his plate.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"You said you weren't hungry so why should I let it go to waste?" Luna flashed him a cute ever-so-innocent smile.

"Stick to your food!" De Tanga barked at her. 'I'll have to talk to Master afterwards.'


	35. Chapter 23E

_Author's Notes: Out of all the parts I've written for this story this one was the hardest. It's not that I didn't know what I wanted to write it's just I wasn't into it. I just wasn't focused. But then again I've been sick for the past week and a half so that's probably to blame. It's hard to concentrate on things when you are sleep deprived, achy and coughing. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three E, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

After Luna and De Tanga's late breakfast the pair split up once more. Luna went to oversee some of the waiting staff issues while De Tanga went to see his master.

It had been almost been three months since De Tanga had seen his master. Their last meeting had been a strange one at best as she almost killed his best friend and potential love interest. Even though three months wasn't a long time for a monster it felt like a lifetime for De Tanga. What was he going to say to her? Should he tell her about Luna?

De Tanga hadn't come to any decisions by the time he teleported himself to the entrance to the restaurant. He knew he should decide on something before going to see her but he just couldn't. He took a deep breath as he push past the front doors and stepped into the still quite empty restaurant.

The two floating ball waiters were busy with prepping the restaurant for its opening for the day so they didn't notice De Tanga right away. The blue one turned once he realized someone had come in. He was going to say something to De Tanga but closed his mouth once he saw who it was. Instead the blue creature just went back to prepping the dining area.

De Tanga could have taken offence to this snubbing but he was sure this was because of his master's doing. More likely she had expected him to arrive so she warned her staff. Or they just figured since he was monster he wasn't there to eat. Either way De Tanga just walked through the dining area to the back towards the kitchen. Instead of finding his master busy in the kitchen De Tanga found that strange little green fury creature. The creature was wielding a kitchen knife far too large for his size. The fury from which the creature minced that fish he was butchering was frightening.

As if feeling the eyes that were on him the green creature turned to glare at De Tanga. "Who are you? And why are you in my kitchen? Are you here trying to steal my recipes?"

De Tanga's eyes were wide with fear. "No... I'm actually looking for the head chef."

This didn't sit well with the green creature as he started to wave the knife in the air. "Oh yeah of course you're looking for the 'head chef'. Nevermind the fact that I'm here every freakin' day while she just breezes in when she wants to. I work my butt off every day but she's the 'head chef'!"

De Tanga realized he wasn't going to get anything useful out of the creature so he retreated very quickly. Even though De Tanga already out of the kitchen he could still hear the ranting of the green creature.

Since Luna had told De Tanga a little bit about her meeting with Deep Sea De Tanga knew about the portal outside the restaurant. Figuring that since his master wasn't in the kitchen she was probably on the beach De Tanga headed there next.

Luna hadn't described the beach in too much depth so De Tanga was blindsided by the beauty of it. He had never before in his life seen such a perfect beach. The water was so perfectly blue, the sand pure white and the sky clear. De Tanga had no idea where he was, he'd never seen a beach so perfect. And it didn't just look perfect either, it was empty. Very rare did you ever find such a perfect beach without beach goers. But this little oasis was a private one making it just that much more sublime. The beach just didn't seem real. It looked like a fantasy.

Sitting on that one pier was Deep Sea Dolphin with a fishing rod in the water. De Tanga had to wonder if Deep Sea was actually catching anything. He was almost sure this beach wasn't real but a place of Deep Sea's creation.

The old wooden pier creaked under De Tanga's feet as he approached his master. De Tanga almost cringed at the sound the wood made. It wasn't as though De Tanga was trying to sneak up on his master but De Tanga was loathing announcing his presence. That being because he still wasn't sure what he was going to say.

Even if she hadn't heard the creaking wood of the pier Deep Sea was still aware she wasn't alone on the beach. The moment her 'son' passed through the portal she knew he was there. She was pleased to sense a very different set of emotions from him. De Tanga had been so sad and devastated the last time. "At last you've come."

De Tanga froze at the sound of his master's voice. She hadn't turned around she was still fishing. "After what happened earlier there's no way I couldn't."

Deep Sea turned around to shoot her minion a pouty frown. "Oh poo! I just wanted to clip the canary's wings a little."

De Tanga shook his head. "I know you did it because you thought it was doing me a favour. But things are different. I'm here to support Xellos and Filia not sabotage them."

"The more things change the more they stay the same." Deep Sea spoke very sagely.

De Tanga frowned. It wasn't likely for him to get through to her. "I told you things are different Master."

"Does the little slayer have something to do with that?" Deep Sea giggled out.

"Why did you send me to Zelphilia Master?" For a minion to counter a master's question with a question wasn't something normal among monsters. Such an act would cause the master to reprimand or kill the minion. But this was not so with De Tanga and Deep Sea. It took quite a bit to get Deep Sea angry enough to kill. And she loved it when her minions tried to stand up to her. It... amused her.

"She is my favourite you know." Deep Sea continued with her own train of thought rather than jump onto De Tanga's.

"I'm your favourite." De Tanga retorted almost feebly.

"Awww... my little one is jealous?" Deep Sea ruffled his hair like a mother doting on her child.

De Tanga felt himself shrunk under Deep Sea's attention. It was nice and welcoming to get such attention but it also made him nostalgic and sad thinking of his dead foster mother. "No..."

"A pretty purple flower. Full of fire and ice. Such an interesting human."

"Yeah..." De Tanga uttered not intending to say this out loud.

This surprised Deep Sea. Was Luna the cause for this change in De Tanga? This notion made Deep Sea erupt into a fit of giggles.

De Tanga realized his error and it made him feel very sheepish. "Is she the reason you sent me to Zelphilia?"

Instead of going into a triad or continue with her bubbling laughter Deep Sea instead looked out at the sea. De Tanga wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic. Just like during her conversation with Luna Deep Sea retreated to the far recesses of her mind as she stared out into the sea. The sea may have been calm but her blue eyes were stormy. "That place... it was like his place..."

De Tanga frowned. He had seen this sort of thing from Deep Sea before many times. It was something he never questioned but he didn't know the reason behind it. Many rumours flew around Deep Sea, but the most likely cause for this melancholy mood was whatever had caused the madness that normal gripped the monster lord. De Tanga wanted to ask who she was referring to but he knew he wouldn't get an answer to that question. "Zelphilia is a beautiful city. It's very accepting once they got over the fact that I was a monster and Luna wasn't going to kill me."

Deep Sea in an instant switched from her gloomy disposition to one of mischief. "How did you manage to escape the slayer's wraith?"

De Tanga looked like he was a deer caught in headlights at that moment. "Ah...um... well she ah... decided I was going to work for her. At her restaurant, as a waiter."

Instead of the normal bubbly giggles that came out of Deep Sea's mouth a deep roaring laugh boomed from her. She almost fell over laughing while pointing at him. "I do like that woman! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

De Tanga glared at his master whom was rolling on the floor laughing. This was definitely not a proper master to minion type relationship. "Master... I came here to ask you if you could leave Xellos and Filia alone. Today is their wedding day and it's important that things go smoothly." He pleaded with her.

Deep Sea regained her composure and stared her minion down with an uncharacteristic seriousness. "It will go as smooth as it's destined to be."

"What does that mean exactly?" De Tanga questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I shall make a baked belmatorn feast for the reception!" Deep Sea exclaimed happily clapping her hands.

De Tanga sighed. "I'm pretty sure you aren't on the guest list Master."

"It will be a lovely platter filled the brim with all sorts of goodies!"

De Tanga just shook his head. "Goodbye Master." He phased out leaving Deep Sea standing alone on the pier.

"A wonderful feast always goes well with complete disaster." Deep Sea erupted into high pitched giggles as she twirled around. "This will be great fun! But first I need to catch a beast to cook!"

...

Filia had been so happy to get her dress back that she had put it one almost as soon as it was given back to her. She just couldn't stop looking herself in the mirror and twirling around. Val, Gravos and Jilas tried to get her to change so she could eat lunch. Because it would have been bad for her to accidently to food on her dress before the wedding. Filia's response to this? She wasn't going to eat lunch. This didn't bode well with the boys.

It took a lot of convincing and cooking Filia's favourite meal to get Filia to change her mind. But as she ate she kept a watchful eye on the dress which she had with her hanging in the kitchen. It wasn't really all that surprising that Filia was being so cautious. After having her wedding dress stolen from her while she was just downstairs was enough to make Filia or anyone nervous. In fact she was so nervous that Filia didn't even look away from the garment bag as she ate. Her eyes were glued to it.

"Mom! Stop staring at the dress while you eat! It's creepy!" Val protested while he shovelled food into his mouth. "It's not like someone is going to take the dress with us in the room."

"Monsters can teleport very quickly! So yes they could take the dress very easily with us in the room." Filia exclaimed very defensively.

"I wonder which monster was responsible for the dress napping." Jilas wondered out loud. "I hope he or she doesn't do anything else bad."

"It don't matter anymore." Gravos waved off Jilas' concerns. "Cause if that Luna girl is anything like her reputation then dat monster is deader than a doorknob."

Val frowned. He had talked with Luna but really he didn't know anything about her. "What is her reputation?"

"Miss Luna is the knight of Cepheid, and known as 'the monster slayer'. She's a master swordswoman." Filia explained. "Back when I was dealing with the Dark Star omen I had sought out Miss Luna's help. I only hired Miss Lina because Miss Luna refused."

"So Lina saved the day but Luna was your first choice? Then she must be powerful." Val surmised. "If that's the case then why are you still paranoid about the dress? Luna would have killed the monster for sure."

"There could be other monsters out there trying to sabotage the wedding." Filia protested weakly.

"Mom it's not like all the monsters are going to do the same thing. More likely they will try and kidnap you, kill Xellos, setting the wedding alter on fire, poison the food, kill the flowers..." Val listed off several ways the wedding could be ruined. He did this because he thought he was helping his mother by showing her how foolish it was to be so concerned with the dress. Unfortunately he didn't quite get the reaction he had been hoping for.

Yes Filia had stopped staring at her dress but now she was staring at Val. Or rather she was glaring at Val. It was a strange glare that was a combination of mortification, fear and anger. "Val! Why in the world would think telling me that would help?" She demanded almost frantically.

Realizing his error Val just laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Um... sorry?"

Jilas and Gravos just shook their heads in disapproval.

...

"Okay listen up people!" Lina spoke through a megaphone to a mass of people. She was standing on a high platform so that everyone could see her. "We had an incident today and we don't want to have a repeat of anything like it during the wedding. Zelgadis is going to hand each of you your designated areas and things to look out for. If you spot anything suspicious at any time make sure you alert one of us."

"Did Filia get back her wedding dress?" One of the townspeople asked with a raised hand.

"Yes she did." Lina answered quickly which was bad thing to do as it spurred everyone else to start yelling out random questions.

"Who took it?"

"Was it Xellos?"

"Did it get ruined?"

"Who found the dress?"

"Where was it?"

"QUIET!" Lina yelled through the megaphone causing many to cover their ears in pain. Zelgadis was particularly affected and almost passed out from the pain. "The dress was recovered, it had been stolen. And I will not go into details." Lina said rather forcefully before shutting off the megaphone and stepping down from the platform she was standing on top of.

"Do you think someone is going to try something at the wedding?" Gourry wondered as he helped Lina down.

"Probably. It is Xellos we're talking about." Lina mused.

"Miss Lina I think you made Mister Zelgadis deaf." Amelia exclaimed with worry as she knelt down beside the fallen chimera.

"Well then you'd better hand out the papers." Lina told Amelia completely ignoring any responsibility for Zelgadis condition.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia protested.

"Fine Gourry you hand them out." Lina snatched the papers and handed them to her blond companion. "Because clearly Amelia and Zelgadis are too lazy to their jobs."

"Miss Lina, Mister Zelgadis isn't lazy!" Again Amelia protested.

"Then why is he laying on the floor?" Lina replied looking down on him.

"He's-because-you argh forget it!" Amelia grunted in frustration. She took the papers from Gourry and began handing them out.

"Lina, Zel doesn't look too good." Gourry pointed out while poking Zelgadis with a stick.

"Ah, he's fine." Lina brushed it off.

Zelgadis groaned from the pain. All he could hear was ringing in his ears.

Some days it was good to be a chimera, others it just sucked. Especially when you were traveling with Lina Inverse.


	36. Chapter 23F

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three F, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

Jilas looked to be pretty determined as he stood guard outside Filia's room at the inn. The bride to be was getting ready with the girls and Jilas was just outside standing guard. Given that both Lina and Amelia were in the room with Filia it wasn't really that necessary for Jilas to be standing out in the hall. But since Val had pointed out just how many things could go wrong Filia got a bit freaked out. So Jilas offered to stand watch to help ease some of Filia's tension.

Since Jilas had suggested standing watch while Filia got ready Gravos offered to stand watch outside Xellos' room while he got ready. Filia had been very grateful for her two helpers. If hadn't been for them Filia might not even started getting ready. She was just too freaked out to go to the inn.

Jilas felt pretty good about himself. He always felt his best when he was doing something useful. So even though he wasn't exactly doing too much at that moment he was happy since he made Filia feel safer. Jilas was a person that took his job and duties seriously.

'I hope the boss isn't freaking out too much. It's her wedding day, she should be enjoying it.' Jilas thought to himself while images of his own wedding flashed through his head.

It hadn't been too long ago that Jilas himself had been standing at the altar waiting for his blushing bride to be to walk down the aisle. During the whole Dark Star fiasco Jilas had met another fox beastperson by the name of Elena. Given just how many of his kind had been hunted down it had been very surprising to Jilas to find another of his kind. Jilas had been particularly fond of Elena's son Palou. Palou used to call him Uncle Jilas, however now the young fox beastman called Jilas dad.

When Jilas had originally met the mother and son he had told himself that he stuck around because of Palou. But after Filia requested the Gravos and Jilas distance themselves from Val for a little while Jilas found himself going back to Elena. He hadn't left her and Palou on good terms and Jilas had been afraid that they would hate him. As it turned out his fears didn't need to be heeded. Elena and Palou were happy to have him back even with Gravos in tow. In fact Palou had been delighted to meet his new uncle Gravos.

But when Jilas came back to Elena and Palou he hadn't expected to be getting married. No, Jilas hadn't expected to fall in love. But does one expect to fall in love? No, it just happens when it wants to.

'I wonder if they are in town yet...' Jilas thought to himself. Elena and Palou were naturally invited to Filia's wedding. Filia was quite fond of the mother and son. And Palou and Val got along very well even with Val's accelerated aging.

"Dad!" Palou yelled out in delight breaking Jilas from his thoughts.

"Palou!" Jilas held his arms open as his step son came running towards him for a bone crushing hug.

"Hello husband of mine." Elena greeted her husband with a warm smile.

"Hello yourself darling." Jilas returned the smile. He would have hugged his wife but Palou was still holding onto him pretty tightly.

"How's Filia doing?"

"We had a couple mishaps but things are okay for now. However the boss is pretty nervous." Jilas explained.

"Well if were a golden dragon marrying a monster I would be nervous too." Elena mused. "It makes me wonder if anything bad is going to happen at the wedding."

"That's why me and Gravos-boss are standing watch. We're going to make sure nothing happens to 'em before the wedding. And the boss has that girl Lina Inverse and her goonies helping out to keep things from going south."

"Can I help stand guard too Dad?" Palou asked excitedly.

"Sure! You can help me keep Filia-boss safe." Jilas ruffled his step-son's hair affectionately.

"Nothing bad is going to happen on my watch!" Palou declared with his chest puffed out in pride.

Jilas had to laugh at his. Palou reminded Jilas too much of himself at that age. "How was your trip? There wasn't any problems were they?" He asked directing his question to Elena.

"Mom threw up three times!" Palou exclaimed.

This caused Jilas' eyes to light up with alarm. "Elena is something wrong? Are you ill?"

"Palou sweetie could you give your dad and I a moment alone? I need to talk to him about something important." Elena asked her son while patting him on the head.

"Awwww... Mom! I wanted to stand guard with Dad!" Palou protested while crossing his arms in a pout.

"Just a couple minutes please?"

Palou scrunched his face into a frown as he looked up at his mom. "You're not going to do something mushy with Dad?"

"Well if I am that's probably not something you'd want to see. So go on now, I won't be long."

Palou sighed. "Okay I'll be back in five minutes. But not a moment later!" He declared as he took off down the hall.

"Elena what's wrong?" Jilas searched his wife's face hoping for an answer to appease his growing worry.

"I didn't want to tell Palou yet this as it's still pretty early." Elena stated with a whisper.

This didn't help Jilas; it just made him worry more. "You're scaring me Elena, what's wrong? Please tell me you're not sick!"

"I'm not sick. I've been throwing up because I've been getting morning sickness." Elena explained.

"Morning sickness?" Really Jilas should have known right away what Elena was saying but his brain was still on fear kick so it just wasn't sinking in.

"Oh Jilas you daft little man! You're going to be a father!"

"But I already have a son." Again Jilas wasn't getting it.

"Jilas I'm pregnant."

Jilas couldn't say anything, he was speechless. "You're what?"

"Pregnant." Elena repeated.

"You're pregnant?"

"Yes I am. Are you having problems with your ears?" Elena said with a laugh.

"I can't believe it! I'm going to be a dad again! Palou is going to be so excited! He's going to be a big brother!"

"Yes he is, but we can't tell him yet." Elena insisted.

"Why not? He'll be thrilled to find out he's going to have a baby brother or sister."

"Honey it's too early. I don't want him to know till we're certain that this pregnancy is going to go well. I don't want to get his hopes up just in case..." Elena couldn't finish the end of the sentence. No one wants to believe that they could lose a child but it was a real possibility.

Jilas smiled at his wife and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Alright we won't tell him right now. But we well tell him eventually because this pregnancy is going to be smooth and trouble free." He pulled her close to him wrapping his arms around her.

"I hope you're right." Elena buried her face into Jilas' neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jilas titled his wife's face up to give her a kiss.

"Ewww... Couldn't you two have finished up all that mushy stuff before I came back?" Palou exclaimed in disgust.

Jilas chuckled and released his hold on Elena. "Alright Palou we're done. So how about we get to guard duty?"

"Yea!"

"You know we're just going to be standing around and doing nothing right? It's probably going to be boring." Jilas warned him.

"If it's important that Aunty Filia be kept safe then it doesn't matter whether it's boring or not! Because that's the right thing to do!" Palou declared proudly.

Both Jilas and Elena had to laugh. To say that they were proud of Palou was a grave understatement.

...

While Jilas was having a nice little reunion in the hall Filia wasn't having such a great time in her room. Having the perfect dress was one thing but it meant nothing if hair and makeup weren't right. Perhaps her stress levels were affecting things as both the makeup artist and the hair stylist were having trouble getting Filia's hair and skin to co-operate.

"All I want is my hair done up and a natural look on my face!" Filia protested feebly.

"Sweetie we know what you want. But you've got too much hair to put it all up, so trust when me when I'm finished you'll love what I'll come up with." Juan the hair stylist insisted.

"You said that almost an hour ago!" Filia groaned.

"Well I wasn't sure of how to attack this golden beast but now I know for sure!"

Filia frowned which further irritated Sally the makeup artist. "Fil-honey you need to stop moving your head so much! I'm going to end up jabbing you in the eye with the mascara brush!"

"I feel like I have a layer of mud on my face." Filia complained.

"I know but your skin isn't even today. I had to glop on the foundation to hide all the redness and blemishes. You need to stop stressing out or you'll break out with pimples." Sally warned her.

"Oh no I have pimples?" Filia cried out in horror.

"No, not yet. So quit stressing out! Gesh! I've seen some nervous brides but you take the cake."

"Oh Sal she's marrying that monster." Juan exclaimed. "Any gal would be nervous marrying that fiend. He is cute and all but I gotta say I like that turquoise haired monster more. You don't see men like him around too often."

Sally laughed. "Oh Juan I couldn't agree more! He is a dish. I wonder if he's seeing anyone."

"He... is..." Filia answered very meekly.

"Really? Darn. The good ones are always taken." Sally sighed as she applied some eye shadow to Filia's eyes.

"I don't know, the bad ones can be pretty fun too." Juan said with a smirk.

"You're bad Juan!" Sally slapped her co-worker on the arm playfully.

"That's probably why I'm not taken yet." Juan said in a mock pout.

Filia stopped listening to Sally and Juan's chatter as she retreated into her own thoughts. Those particular thoughts were of the very person that Juan and Sally had been just talking about.

De Tanga.

It wasn't an uncommon thing for Filia's mind to travel towards the morose monster priest. She and De Tanga had been through a lot in a short amount of time. Not knowing what had happened to him after the events had made Filia wonder. But since talking to him Filia knew that De Tanga was fine and getting on with his life. And that should have been fine enough for her.

But now as Filia sat there getting ready to get married to Xellos De Tanga was occupying her thoughts for a different reason. She was marrying Xellos a man she had hated for years. There were times when Filia thought back and couldn't remember how she ever ended up engaged to him. But in some warped way Filia had made a decision that had her end up with Xellos instead of De Tanga.

Thinking back on it Filia had to wonder why she would choose the 'bad one' over the 'good one'. If a golden dragon or any enemy of the monster race were to marry a monster De Tanga would make much more sense as he was a neutral force. But Xellos? There was nothing neutral about him at all. There was a doubt creeping up her stomach and spine making her question if she made the right choice. Is she marrying the right man?

'It's just cold feet.' Filia mentally told herself. 'Every bride does this before her wedding. It's natural to be scared and second guess yourself.' Though this justification made sense Filia felt no comfort about it. It just added to the worry and doubt already bubbling away in her stomach.

But when posed the question of why Xellos and not De Tanga, Filia just couldn't come up with a proper answer. She always hated to admit it, but Filia was in love with Xellos. Though Filia never quite understood why she _loved_ him. If she had her choice she would have never. And who would? It's Xellos after all! If it was a matter of choice Filia would never be engaged to marry him. If it was a matter of choice then Filia would have chosen De Tanga for sure. But then the question becomes, did Filia love De Tanga too? Or had she ever felt those feelings at all for Deep Sea's priest? Was she making a horrible mistake?

Filia desperately wanted to talk to someone about this. But who could she talk to? Val was against the marriage as were most of the people in town. In fact the only person she could rely on getting a proper discussion on marrying Xellos was the one person Filia couldn't talk to. That of course was De Tanga who was the cause for this recent doubt. De Tanga was probably the only one there supporting this marriage and not just individual sides of it. Which is strange seeing how it could have just as easily been De Tanga marrying Filia and not Xellos.

'Am I making a mistake marrying Xellos?' Filia wondered miserably with the knots tightening in her stomach.


	37. Chapter 23G

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three G, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

While Filia and the girls were getting ready the guys were off in another part of the inn getting ready themselves. Or rather they were trying to get ready but they were being prevented from doing so.

"Where the hell is my tie?" Zelgadis grumbled looking around under the couch.

"This is not my suit jacket!" Val exclaimed in anger.

"Why do I have two left shoes?" Gourry wondered confusion.

Xellos just sat there watching the chaos while drinking his tea. The smile on his face looked innocent but that was never the case with Xellos.

"Xellos why do this stuff on your wedding day?" De Tanga questioned him with a very bored expression on his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm perfectly ready to get married." Xellos explained while motioning to his state of dress. While everyone else was not ready Xellos was dressed in his tux with not a winkle or a hair out of place.

"So then that's your game? Stand there at the altar looking perfect while your wedding party looks like a mess?" De Tanga just shook his head. "Zelgadis your tie is under the chair, Gourry you have one of my shoes and Val I believe that's Gourry's jacket."

Xellos glared at him. "You always have to ruin my fun don't you?"

"If it's fun for the whole family then no I wouldn't. But when you're the only one having fun then yes Xellos I have to."

"But it's my wedding day." Xellos protested. "Shouldn't I be allowed to have my fun?"

"You keep this up you will have no one standing with you at the altar." De Tanga warned him.

"Oh but you'll still be there won't you my best friend?"

De Tanga rolled his eyes rather than answer the question.

...

Outside the door in the hall Gravos stood looking rather bored. He personally didn't care one way or another if something bad happened to Xellos. In fact Gravos wished something would happen so that Filia didn't have to marry the monster. The only reason why he offered to stand watch was to ease Filia's mind. So since he wasn't so concerned it was very hard to fight off the boredom he was feeling. Standing there doing nothing made him feel sleepy. But little did Gravos know that there wouldn't be an attack on Xellos or Filia while they were getting ready. No that wouldn't be until the big show began.

...

She seemed to dance as she made her way around town. Her long hair blew in the wind as she twirled around. To those that saw her would wonder who this long haired ballerina was. She was beautiful and mysterious. Even her smile was bewitching, though it was filled with sinister intent. "Hello!" She called out to any random person she saw. Her voice was melodious which fit perfectly with her dancing mannerisms.

Those she greeted nervously responded back as if not sure to be happy about the greeting or disturbed by it.

...

The setting was set. Flowers were arranged, music was playing and people had taken their places. What was about to be would be a monumental occasion. A monster was going to marry golden dragon. No matter what happened it was going to make history.

The church was a modest sized one that could house lots of people but it still wasn't large enough for those that had gathered for the wedding. The purple tulip adorned pews were crammed with all the guests there to bear witness to the nuptials. It was common for one side of the church to have guest there on behalf of either the groom or the bride while the other side would be for the other. But in this case most of the guests sitting on the grooms' side weren't there for Xellos. As Xellos was a monster he tended to antagonise those that he met so who would be there to support him? But as such Filia had so many guests that some of hers had to be seated on Xellos' side. Xellos did have a few there on his behalf but only one was worth mentioning. That being Greater Beast Zellas, Xellos' master. Zellas sat looking rather smug and content as she drank glass after glass of wine. The wedding hadn't even started yet and it appeared the monster lord was already drunk. There was something wrong about being drunk in church as it was supposed to be a holy place but there wasn't a person that was going to say something. It was Greater Beast Zellas after all.

On the other side of the church Luna glared at the sight of the drunken Zellas. Though Luna had never had any face to face encounters with Xellos' master she still wasn't calm with her being so near. Part of that reason was that with Zellas in the church it was hard to sense any other monsters that might decide to show up. Zellas' miasmic astral body exuded much energy that it was almost dizzying. Combine that with the energy from Xellos and De Tanga and it was enough to put someone into sensory overload.

'At the very least with her here that should scare away any of the weak ones thinking of causing trouble.' Luna thought to herself as she absentmindedly played with one of the purple tulips.

Though they weren't the flowers Filia had wanted originally but they did look good in the church. Out of all the things Xellos could have done to irritate his wife to be the flowers were actually the least of worries Filia could have had. In reality Xellos had chosen the flowers not to bother Filia, but to surprise her. The tulips did look much better. Or at least this is what Xellos thought as he stood at the altar waiting for the wedding to start. He looked to be like any excited groom. His smile was big and his hands still. But that was just the outward facade. Inside Xellos was ready to explode with nervous energy. Though he pretended to be all indifferent to the possible horrors the day could bring he was really far from it. Xellos continuously scanned the room looking for anything out of place.

...

"She's here..." De Tanga mumbled to himself as he peeked into the church main room from one of the halls.

"Who? It's not your master is it?" Val tried to look to see what De Tanga was seeing.

"No my master isn't here." De Tanga assured Val.

"Then who were you talking about?"

"Greater Beast Zellas."

"Xellos' master? She's here?"

"Well in a way she's the mother of the groom. So it's unlikely that she'd miss the wedding."

"Is she drinking?" Val wondered out loud as he noticed the wine glass. "There's got to be some rule against getting drunk in a church." He frowned in disgust.

"I wouldn't suggest trying to get her to let go of her wine. Zellas can be a very mean drunk."

"Still I don't like it."

"Having her here is actually a good thing. It means that she supports this union. Any lower monster would be pretty spooked to see her here."

"It's not the lower monsters I worry about." Val mumbled.

De Tanga stayed quiet at that comment. He would have loved to tell Val that there was no way Deep Sea was going to show up but he knew that wasn't likely. She had said as much wanting to make food for the reception. He just hoped that if Deep Sea Dolphin was going to show up it wasn't going to be during the actual wedding.

"Mister De Tanga I'm thirsty." A little girl with blond hair and purple eyes go in between De Tanga and Val. She tugged on De Tanga's pants while trying not to let go of her basket of flowers. This little girl was the little sister of one of Val's friends. Her name was Cecilia and she was the flower girl for the wedding. Her twin brother Aaron was the ring bearer.

"I need to go to the potty." Aaron announced while also tugging on De Tanga's other pant leg.

"Where's your mother?" De Tanga looked around frantically.

"Mommy and Daddy sitting down over there." Cecilia pointed to the pews.

"They said you were looking after us." Aaron explained.

"Okay you too let's go. We have to be quick." De Tanga scooped both kids up and teleported out of the church hall.

Looking himself in the mirror Val went to see if his hair was still okay but then he noticed something missing. The little purple carnation that was supposed to be in his pocket was not there. "Darn where'd that flower gone to?" Val looked around annoyed.

"I think it's right here." A woman with long green hair spoke while picking up a flower from the floor. She offered it to him with a warm smile gracing her ruby red lips. Her light green eyes sparkled like peridots tickled with mischief.

"Thanks." Val accepted the flower sheepishly not looking the woman directly in the eyes. She was beautiful and just being near her was making him blush. He really should have been questioning who this strange woman was. He had never seen her before in town. With all the possible dangers Val barely seemed to register them at that moment in his brain. It was too fogged up with being near a pretty lady. Val was a teenager after all. "Are you here for the wedding?" He dared ask her.

"I wasn't invited to the wedding. I'm just passing through town. Though it looks like it's going to be an interesting one." She said with a slight smirk.

Val rolled his eyes as he put the carnation back in his tux jacket pocket. The moment the flower rested in itself place a strange quietness befell Val. His golden eyes widened as did his pupils. It only lasted for just the scarcest of moments before Val was back to being alert. He didn't even realize he had blacked out there. "Well you have a nice day."

"You too." She smiled at him before turning around to leave the church. As the woman stepped out of the sacred building her green hair changed colour. It turned back to the dark blue it always was. And her light blue eyes held the childlike insanity so common to her. She danced through the town once more leaving confused people in her wake.

...

As De Tanga brought back the children he felt a faint sense of something powerful. It was fleeting as the source was quickly leaving. 'Probably just a monster scared off by Zellas.' De Tanga wrote it off as he got Cecilia and Aaron ready.

"Are we starting this thing already or what?" Lina fumed as she stomped her way down the halls. She did look pretty in her purple dress but the red head was not fond of the shoes chosen for her. They were heels and positively dreadful! 'I bet Xellos picked out these damned shoes!'

"Yeah we are." Val answered while looking at Lina strangely. Something was gnawing at him in the back of his head as he looked at Lina. Though this foreign feeling was interesting it didn't compare to the sight of his foster mother in her wedding dress. "Mom... you look..." Val trailed off as he couldn't think of any words to properly describe how beautiful Filia looked.

Filia blushed slightly feeling a tad embarrassed to having everyone looking at her. "Thanks honey."

"Yes Miss Filia you are beautiful." Amelia agreed happily. Unlike Lina she wasn't bothered so much about her shoes. Being a princess meant that Amelia would often have to dress in elaborate gowns with high heeled shoes. In fact the Sailune princess was very happy about how she looked. A statement like 'she felt like a princess' may be redundant for an actual princess but Amelia did feel special. Mind you not as special as Filia but as special as a bridesmaid could be.

Gourry and Zelgadis on the other hand didn't seem to like their tuxes too much. What had seemed fine enough when they originally went for their fitting was now not so good. The material didn't allow the skin to breathe that well and it made them feel a bit itchy. It wasn't unbearable to ware or anything but it was annoying.

Filia knelt down beside the kids and affectionately ruffled their hair. "Are you two ready?"

Both Aaron and Cecilia nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"Okay cue the music."

The music changed alerting everyone in the church that it was time for the wedding to start.

The two little ones made their way down the aisle while everyone watched. Both the kids were cute in their little outfits but it did little to draw De Tanga's attention to them. Instead the monster priest's eyes were transfixed on the bride to be.

De Tanga could sense Filia's fears which was understandable. That wasn't the reason why his gaze was transfixed. It was just like Val's reaction; De Tanga was taken aback by Filia's beauty. He had been very good about keeping his old emotions at bay up till this point but that wasn't the case anymore.

She was going to marry him. She was going to marry _Xellos._ This thought, this notion made things bubble up in De Tanga's stomach he didn't want bubbling. He felt so sick like he wanted to vomit and the taste in his mouth was like he already had.

'Stop it!' De Tanga mentally scolded himself. 'You're here to support this wedding. You don't love her.' He reminded himself. 'We already went over this before. You would have fought harder for her if you did love her. Remember what she said. Otherwise these past three months were for nothing. Because then you'll lose her too. You'll lose Luna.'

_Luna._

That name alone put some of his nerves at ease. He was there to face this trial for her after all. She came all this way to be with him through this. To be supportive. Because even though it was a trial she imposed on him she wanted to be there for him. She wanted him to succeed. Perhaps she even believed in him, that he would indeed pass this test. But as he searched the crowd for the reassuring face of his purple haired companion he feared he was failing this trial after all.

_(Author's Notes: Yeah finally at the wedding! When starting this fic I had decided that by this point I was going to have another 3 parts and that would be it. But that obviously won't be the case. I've decided to add more conflict thus making it much longer.)_


	38. Chapter 23H

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three H, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

Xellos watched the two children as they made their way down to the altar. Things started off fine enough. Cecilia was diligently throwing flowers into the air covering the aisle while Aaron walked along side of her holding the pillow with the rings on it. Even though the two were as cute as buttons more of the attention was focused on Cecilia and this didn't sit well with her twin brother Aaron.

Halfway down the aisle Aaron grabbed some flowers from Cecilia's basket and threw them into the air.

This bothered Cecilia as she was the flower girl and her brother was stealing her thunder. She screamed at him while hitting in with her basket. "I HATE YOU!" Cecilia yelled while bursting into tears.

"MOM SHE HIT ME!" Aaron yelled pointing at Cecilia.

Even though this could be considered something that would ruin a wedding most of the people found this cute. However the collective 'awwws' were doing nothing to quell the rising anger of the two kids. By the time they got to the end of the aisle both of them very mad and upset. This didn't bother Xellos at all. In fact it was a welcome thing to have a snack at the beginning of the wedding. Children did sometimes have explosive emotions.

The next two people to come walking down the aisle were Amelia and Zelgadis. Amelia was happy to have all eyes on her as she walked arm in arm with a man she admired. She felt pretty in her purple dress.

Zelgadis on the other hand wasn't enjoying all the attention being on them. He felt naked without his hood and mask on and all the eyes on him was making him that much more aware that he was a chimera. Since because of the location of where Filia's chosen town the people didn't see chimera's too often. Many of them were staring more intently on Zelgadis than he was used to. He felt their prying eyes and heard their hushed whispers. Zelgadis wasn't enjoying himself at all.

Then again it might have been another story if it was someone else's wedding, like for instances someone he actually liked or respected. Since it was Xellos it made enduring the suit and the stares just that much more difficult.

The whole walk down the aisle Zelgadis glared at the offending monster. Zelgadis knew damned well that Xellos was enjoying his discomfort. And he also knew that Xellos was enjoying the anger and resentment too.

Amelia was completely oblivious to Zelgadis' irritation. And why would she? She was thinking about the wedding she might have in the future. A wedding to a certain chimera perhaps? It took all of Amelia's concentration not to burst out into childlike giggles.

Though still smiling Xellos frowned a bit as he watched the chimera and the princess walk to the altar. While Zelgadis was providing a sizeable snack, Amelia was completely ruining it. 'She's tainted those lovely delicious emotions.' He thought to himself. Xellos always did enjoy feeding on Zelgadis' negative emotions but Amelia's unwavering optimism and positive attitude always ruined his appetite.

After Zelgadis and Amelia separated and took their spots the next pair was already making their way down the aisle. Just like Amelia and Zelgadis before them, this next pair was mismatched. We had Gourry who was just happy to be a groomsman in a wedding and Lina who was more than ready to take off one of her shoes and throw it at Xellos' head. Gods how she hated those shoes! She hated wearing dresses as a norm but those awful heels were making things worse for Lina.

The last pair to walk down the aisle didn't walk arm in arm. No these two walked along side each other with their hands behind their backs. Neither man looked particularly happy or joyous which was understandable. Xellos was marrying Filia so it was natural that Val would be upset. However the look on his face was a bit strange. It wasn't just irritation or disgust that marred the young ancient dragon's face. There was something else just a bit strange about his expression. But no one paid any attention to it.

Most of the attention was on De Tanga. Though many in town didn't know De Tanga too well they did know of Jarred. And those that knew the truth knew that the monster who was the best man of Xellos was in fact that very same man fighting Xellos for Filia's affections. Uncertainly loomed in the air as many people in the church were unsure of what the monster priest's actions would be. Was he going to stop the wedding?

The look on De Tanga's face didn't exactly inspire courage in the masses. He looked very uncertain and conflicted. As if De Tanga himself didn't even know what he was going to do.

Even though both 'best men' didn't seem too happy or confident they took their places at the altar. Val took his spot by where Filia would stand and De Tanga took his spot behind Xellos.

"Are you nervous?" De Tanga whispered his question to Xellos.

"No." Xellos whispered back. "Why would I?" He flashed De Tanga a smug smile.

De Tanga frowned. He could sense that Xellos wasn't as calm as he was pretending to be. But to be a bit nervous was a common thing.

The light airy music that had been filling the church changed its tune sounding the commonly familiar notes of the wedding march. Everyone rose to their feet and turned around to watch the bride as she made her way to the altar.

She was beautiful, as beautiful as a bride could be. Her dress was sparkling white, her hair and makeup just perfect and she had an air of elegance to her. Filia was a beautiful woman normally but dressed as she was she was an enchanting vision of white. To those that saw her would all agree, she was breath taking. A perfect bride on a perfect wedding day.

As Filia walked through the church aisle she was escorted by two very proud men. Both Jilas and Gravos were happy and honoured to be the ones to walk Filia down the aisle. It did look a bit funny as Gravos was on one side of Filia looking tall and large and Jilas was on the other side looking much smaller. But that didn't matter much as their smiles were larger than anyone's in the room.

This was in some ways a strange sight as the smile that was on Filia's face was considerably smaller than those walking her down the aisle. Of course this failed to alarm anyone in the church. She was getting married after all; it was a huge step in a person's life. It was natural to feel apprehensive. To those in the church they just assumed Filia's somewhat forced smile was just a case of wedding jitters.

As Filia made her way down the aisle she found herself searching the faces of those standing at the altar. She saw looks of encouragement and irritation of her friends. Seeing the smiling faces of Amelia, Gourry and De Tanga didn't help the knots tightening in her stomach. In fact the smiles were making her feel more and more nervous. It was especially bad when she looked at De Tanga's face. She could tell right away that De Tanga's smile was just as forced as hers. Clearly he wasn't feeling too sure about this wedding either.

It was a time like this that Filia wanted to have one of those mental conversations with De Tanga like they used to. But then what would she say to him? No that would be a bad idea.

Looking to Xellos didn't help much either for Filia. He had on his trademark grin that often made her want to hurt him. There was nothing sincere and loving about that smile of his. It wasn't what you expected from a husband to be and it didn't give Filia any sort of validation or comfort. It just intensified that unsettled feeling in her stomach.

Gravos and Jilas gave away Filia leaving to stand by Xellos in front of the priest and all their friends and family. It was natural for a person getting married to reach for the hand of their spouse to be but this didn't happen at this wedding. Filia's grip on her bouquet was so tight she almost broke it in half.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered before Cepheid and er... Shabranigdo... to bless this union of Filia and Xellos." The priest spoke in a raspy voice. He was an old priest very set in his traditions and faith. He was wrestling with the moral complications of doing a wedding for a dragon and a monster. Marrying Filia was fine for the priest but not when she was marrying a monster. And especially when Xellos insisted Shabranigdo be mentioned. "Today is a day of love and celebration as this man and this woman declare their unwavering devotion to each other."

The more the priest spoke the faster Filia's heart beat. It was beating so hard and fast that it was deafening to her ears. Thump thump. As her pulse quickened her breaths became shorter and shorter. It wasn't almost like she was hyperventilating, she felt like there was no air getting into her lungs. Her eyes were wide with fear and her smile more strained.

"Filia?" The priest prompted her snapping her out of her trance.

"What?" Filia asked looking at the priest.

"Do you take Xellos to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The priest repeated the question for Filia.

All the panic that had been coursing through Filia's veins turned ice cold making feel faint. "I... I... I..." Filia stuttered as she looked around the church. She felt everything spinning around her.

Whispers started to sound in the church as they watched Filia unravel. The golden dragon just kept stumbling over the same word over and over. And then when they finally thought she would come up with an answer she vanished!

Everyone looked around in surprise as the golden dragon had teleported herself out of the church. At first all eyes were on Xellos, as if the monster was to blame. But Xellos was just as confused as everyone else.

"Where did she go?" Lina wondered out loud looking around.

"Probably came to her senses." Zelgadis muttered under his breath.

"You don't think someone kidnapped Miss Filia do you?" Amelia posed the question feebly and fearfully.

"I doubt it; we would have seen someone do it. Unless it was a pretty powerful monster that did it..." Lina mumbled to herself.

"Well we do have Beast Master Zellas sitting over there drinking. But I think she's too drunk to pull that off." Zelgadis pointed out.

"That leaves Dynast and Deep Sea." Lina tapped her chin in thought.

"No, if it were a monster I would have known." De Tanga interrupted Lina's train of thought.

"Well then that means Filia's flown the coup. Can't say I'm that surprised." Lina concluded.

"Don't worry Mister Xellos." Amelia patted the monster general priest on the back reassuringly. "I'm sure she just needs a minute. She'll be back."

Having your fiancé leave you at the altar was a bad thing but when you were a monster having someone try to 'console' you was much worse. Xellos almost felt ill from the positive waves of emotion from the Sailune princess.

Lina let out a heavy sigh. "I guess one of us should go find her."

"But Miss Filia teleported out of here!" Amelia protested. "She could be anywhere!"

"I'll look for her." De Tanga offered. He teleported out before anyone could protest.

While everyone in the church murmured amongst themselves Val was very quiet as he stood there at the altar. He wasn't paying attention to anything going on around him. It's not that he was intentionally ignoring everything. At that moment his head was pounding with the largest headache he had ever had in life. The pain was so intense that it blocked out all sound and awareness of his surroundings. While he stood there completely immobilized strange images flashed through his mind. They moved so quickly in and out that Val couldn't make sense of them. But the more he tried to make sense of them the more his head hurt. The only things that he could make out clearly were the colours. Red and purple... Different shades but always those two colours. What did they mean?

...

It didn't take De Tanga long to find Filia. There were only three places where he figured she would go. Her home, that spot in the middle of the woods and the lake. If it were De Tanga that was upset and needed to take refuge to think the lake would have been his first choice. As it turned out Filia was the same.

Standing there in her wedding dress staring out to the blue crystal waters she looked like a fairy tale dream to the monster priest. All this time away from Filia had dulled the image of her beauty from his mind and made him forget part of the reason why he had been so drawn to her in the first place. She was so quiet as she stood there in this peaceful setting that De Tanga was loathe disturbing her from her thoughts. If it had not been for the tears falling down her face De Tanga might have not approached her at all.

If the makeup artist hadn't used waterproof makeup then Filia's face would have been a mess at that moment. Instead the tears just added to the sad beauty of this whimsical scene.

"Filia?" De Tanga quietly spoke as he slowly approached her.

Filia spied a quick look at De Tanga before turning away. She didn't want him to see her like this. She feebly tried to wipe off her tears and calm herself but no avail. Filia's tears didn't hold at bay so as such she still had her back to him. "De Tanga? Why are you here?"

"You left. I had to follow." He answered as he got right behind her. De Tanga wanted to put his hand her shoulder or do something but he didn't feel it was in his place to do anything. So he just stood there waiting for her to answer.

"I couldn't do it." Filia cryptically answered.

"Couldn't do what?" He prompted her.

"How can I marry someone I hate so much?"

De Tanga flashed her a smile even though she couldn't see it. "Because even though you hate him you love him at the same time."

"I don't want to love him! Gods he makes me so mad all the time! And even there at the church, that damned smug smile of his! This whole wedding is a joke to him!"

"So you left because he wasn't taking things seriously enough?"

"No..." Filia hugged herself in an effort to will herself the courage to say what she needed to say. "I couldn't... because... I'm having doubts..."

"Cold feet are a natural thing for any bride. And Xellos doesn't exactly make things easier either. So it's bound to be more intense." De Tanga tried to reassure her.

"No it's not cold feet!" Filia protested vehemently. "What if I made a mistake? What if... I'm marrying the wrong man?"

De Tanga felt his heart skip a beat that moment. His mouth was dry and he felt his mind go completely blank. "What... what are you saying?"

"What if... I'm supposed to marry... you?" Filia finally turned around to look De Tanga in the eye.

De Tanga could only stand there and stare. His confused teal eyes met with her sparkly light blue ones.


	39. Chapter 23I

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three I, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

De Tanga didn't know what to say; heck he didn't even know what to think at that moment. Filia the very woman he had been agonizing over now suggesting she was supposed to be with him? It was hard to comprehend. De Tanga found himself not able to breathe. He had to wonder what was keeping him standing at that moment. He felt so faint, like if a slight breeze hit him he'd fall like a leaf. All he could do was stare dumbly at Filia as if to will her to make sense of this.

Filia hadn't known how De Tanga would react to her question nor did she know what sort of reaction she wanted. But when she looked into his slanted teal eyes she was sure it wasn't what she wanted. The only two things Filia could see clearly in his eyes were fear and confusion. This was much too hard for Filia to face so she found herself turning her back to him.

"What?" De Tanga finally found his voice though it was only a mere whisper.

Filia bit her bottom lip and clenched her fists still featly trying to keep her tears at bay. "I never did choose. It was like everyone decided what my choice was but me."

"But you love Xellos." De Tanga protested feebly.

"I never wanted to! Gods, if I knew you were trying to set me and him up when you came to me I would have told you get to lost!" Filia screamed at him. This burst of anger made her tears stop as her eyes became enraged.

Hearing such anger in Filia's voice made De Tanga flinch. He had seen anger in Filia before but this sort directed at him. It hurt but at least he understood it. "I'm sorry." He apologized. This was the confrontation he had been expecting when he first saw Filia when he came back into town but didn't get. Clearly Filia wasn't being completely forthcoming with her feelings at that time and now he was getting the brunt of it.

"And you knew I was starting to have feelings for you. How could you purposely play with my mind like that?" She turned around and pounded on his chest.

"Filia I'm sorry. But I didn't realize you were starting to have feelings for me till it was too late."

"Too late? When did you decide it was too late?"

"After I already had feelings for you."

That stopped Filia's rage cold in its tracks. "If you knew at that point then why continue with the rouse? Why didn't you fight harder for me?"

"Would it have mattered?"

"I'm standing here questioning this wedding and suggesting I marry you instead! How can you think it wouldn't matter?" Filia went back to screaming at him.

"Because you chose him."

"I NEVER DID! I never chose. I never once did I say I wanted him over you."

"Your heart did."

Filia's anger had temporarily stopped some of her tears but now they were flowing freely again. "I don't want to love him..."

"But you don't love me." De Tanga responded sadly. 'And I don't love you.' De Tanga added mentally. It was sad to realize that something special that could have been wasn't as special or magical as you thought it was.

...

Red and purple, red and purple... The two colours swirled about in Val's mind. Red and purple... what did they mean? The more Val tried to make sense of it more the colours hurt his head. It got worse when that lone shade of red divided. Now it was one darker scarlet red, one orange red and purple. Even though it hurt Val tried to concentrate harder.

The colours took shape turning into human silhouettes. Of the three colours the darker red was the biggest and it towered over the other two. Of the remaining colours the orange red was smaller than the purple but not by much.

Sounds started to seep into Val's brain but it wasn't the sounds of the church. What he heard was sound completely from his mind. They were garbled and hard to make out but one thing did speak to Val about them. They were familiar.

The forms changed again this time turning into people. Two men and one woman. The big dark red colour was a man. The red was his hair, which was long and wild. The man had a smile that was both comforting and sinister. The other red shape was the woman who was short and petite. The last was the purple and he was a man with a very mischievous smile. For whatever reason Val felt the strongest towards this person. And it wasn't fond feelings either.

More images flashed through Val's mind, but these weren't just pictures they were scenes. Some seemed familiar while others did not. He saw the red headed man offering his hand to him. This felt comforting to Val but it was also confusing. Who was this man? Where did these scenes come from?

_Master..._

That one word started to repeat over and over again. He couldn't hear the voice that spoke the word as it was one he was thinking.

Who was this master?

_Your master... Master... Gaav..._

It all started to make sense and clear for the ancient dragon. He remembered who he was, what he was and his purpose in life. It overrode all his current life thoughts as his old life flooded his brain. Unconsciously he felt for the horn on his head and was surprised that it wasn't there. Whatever had been done to Valgaav had taken his monster heritage. This mattered little to Valgaav as he glared at the object of his rage.

Lina Inverse.

But as he went to take a step forward to attack the sorceress new images flooded his brain. These were not his own memories but those of someone else. They were confusing but one thing was very clear as he tried to make sense of them. Lina Inverse wasn't the one who killed Master Gaav.

It had been Xellos.

The thought of the arrogant monster letting him believe all this time that it had been the sorceress that had killed his master made him mad. To think Valgaav let himself believe his master could have been killed by a _mortal_ of all things was madness. Of course it had been Xellos. There was no other explanation.

Xellos may have been a bit preoccupied at the beginning of all this chaos Filia caused at the church but he wasn't completely oblivious. The swirls of emotion had been an alarming mix coming from the ancient dragon. But as intense rage settle in Xellos found himself looking back at Filia's best man who had been standing behind him.

Val's expression was strange, one that didn't ring true with the son that Filia had raised. It was a smile though a twisted one full of dangerous intent. But this wasn't an unfamiliar smile for Xellos. He had seen it before, but the smile had belonged to Valgaav servant of Chaos Dragon Gaav and not Val Ul Copt adoptive son of Filia Ul Copt. Something had changed. Val had changed.

"Xellos..." Valgaav growled at him.

"Oh my I wonder when you were going to come back... Valgaav." Xellos commented with a spry sinister smile.

At the mention of the name Valgaav everyone standing at the altar recoiled and backed up.

"Valgaav? It can't be!" Lina exclaimed looking at Val in shock. She expected to see the horn on Val's head and the marks on his face but instead saw none of that. If it weren't for the angry twisted expression and the look in the ancient dragon's eyes Lina might have called Xellos' bluff. But looking at Val she knew Xellos was right, Val had regained his memory. 'Great Filia's missing and now I have to deal with a vengeful crazy ancient dragon while wearing a stupid dress.' Lina mentally grumbled.

Valgaav averted his eyes from Xellos for just a second to glare at Lina. "Yes Lina Inverse. I remember you. You took credit for killing my master when it was Xellos all along. I'll have to deal with you later."

"I never said I was killed Gaav. You just assumed and tried to kill me for it." Lina corrected him.

Valgaav ignored Lina as his attention was completely back on Xellos. "I'm not just going to kill you Xellos, you will beg for mercy."

Most of the people in the church were confused and had no idea what was going on and they were mumbling amongst themselves.

"SILENCE!" Valgaav screamed at everyone.

Fear and confusion were two common feelings hanging in the air in the church. Most of the people in the church only knew Val as the little boy that grew too fast. They didn't know of Valgaav the monster/ancient dragon servant to Monster Lord Chaos Dragon Gaav. Those that did know were very quiet with fear. There was no telling what was going to happen.

Perhaps if a monster lord's general priest was in danger that that very monster lord was in the room it was likely that the monster lord would do something. However Greater Beast Zellas had so much to drink that she didn't even care to lift a finger. Xellos was a big boy, so he should be able to handle things.

Luna herself wasn't so blasé about the situation. The monster slayer was very tense and wishing she had one of her weapons with her.

"Well I figured we would get an attack at some point but I didn't figure it would come from the inside." Zelgadis commented while getting ready in a battle stance. He had his arms up ready to cast a spell. Magic was his only option as his sword wasn't with him.

"You can say that again." Lina agreed also getting ready to cast a spell.

"Wait we can't use magic in here! It's a church!" Amelia protested.

"Well what do you suggest we do Amelia? Try and talk Val into not trying to kill Xellos?" Zelgadis snapped sarcastically.

"Mister Val please stop this! Your mother Miss Filia will be so sad if you kill Mister Xellos. This is their wedding day! Please don't do this!" Amelia begged Val.

For a moment something flashed through Valgaav's eyes, a glimmer of something else besides the enraged monster/ancient dragon wanting vengeance. Perhaps it was Amelia's tone of voice or perhaps it was the mentioning of Filia that got to him, but for one moment Val stood there not Valgaav. But it was short lived. "My mother is not a _filthy GOLDEN DRAGON!_" Val screamed. His voice bellowed with more than just noise. In his voice was a wave of power that sent almost everyone standing backwards on their backs. The only other person that remained standing besides Valgaav was Xellos.

"Now now little boy you need to learn to control your temper." Xellos waved a teasing finger at him.

Instead of getting mad and completely losing his temper Valgaav smiled instead. This was a disturbing smile that made many of the people very uneasy. Valgaav didn't attack Xellos. He just reached out and grabbed Xellos' shoulder. The two of them disappeared into thin air.

...

Filia felt defeated at that moment. De Tanga's words replayed over and over in her mind.

_But you don't love me._

Even though De Tanga hadn't said it, Filia heard the silent addition. He didn't love her either. She knew as much. De Tanga was different from before. He knew the difference between love and infatuation. And there was only one reason Filia figured would cause this change. And even though De Tanga wasn't aware of it, Filia was pretty damn sure De Tanga was in love with Luna Inverse. Filia had been fooling herself trying to find a reason to get out of this wedding. And it had nothing to do with not getting her choice.

"How can you know my heart better than I know it?" Filia looked De Tanga in the eye.

"I'm a monster. Whether we like it or not we're empathic creatures. That's why it hurt so much. I realized I had lost probably the only chance I had to be happy."

"But you did get your second chance." Filia reminded him.

"I don't know. Chasing after you like this... I might have failed this one too." De Tanga replied sadly. He didn't regret chasing after Filia but he knew he shouldn't have left so impulsively. Who knew what Luna was thinking at that moment.

"De Tanga I'm scared." Filia admitted.

"Marriage is a scary thing."

"But I'm not marrying a normal person. It's Xellos a typical maniacal monster. What possible future could we have?"

"You won't know until you take that leap. The two of you could have a wonderful life together. He loves to tease you and you love to cause him bodily harm. You're not the most conventional pair but if you were it wouldn't work."

"How can you be so sure things will be alright? You didn't even think we'd be getting married at this point." Filia pointed out.

"It just means things were going better than I figured. If you knew Xellos like I did before he met you you wouldn't be questioning this marriage. He's a very different man Filia. And I don't think he chose to change for you I think you changed him. Which is why he's not reciprocating like a normal husband to be. Without trying you forced him into being a man who is willing to marry his race's mortal enemy. He's completely lost and this resistance is his way of making himself feel like he's still in power. But that isn't the case. You're the one with the power Filia, you're calling the shots. I'm not going to force you to marry him. If you don't want to marry Xellos then so be it. But I can't idly stand by and not try to talk some sense into you. Because calling things off might not just ruin the chance for something special it will also crush the heart of my best friend."

Filia mulled over De Tanga's words carefully. "Crushing his spirit would be fun."

De Tanga glared at Filia. "Filia..."

"Take me back to my bastard fiancé." Filia offered her arm to De Tanga.

De Tanga smiled as he linked arms with Filia and the two teleported back to the church. "No worries folks the bride is back!" He announced as they phased back in. However the sight wasn't what the two expected.

"What happened?" Filia asked looking around. Things were knocked over and everyone looked frightened. "Where's Xellos? Where's Val?"

"Valgaav took Xellos." Lina explained.

"Val...gaav?" Filia's eyes were as wide as saucers. 'He... remembered?'

(_Author's Notes: When I really started getting into this fic I had decided the main conflict/climax would have Filia running off from the wedding. However I realized when I got De Tanga and Luna into town that wouldn't have been enough of a conflict. This is why I've made Val remember. One of many reasons why this fic which is already bigger than 'Mind Games' just keeps getting bigger and bigger... why can't I write shorter stories?)_


	40. Chapter 23J

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three J, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

Filia felt like her whole world was crumbling around her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. Her sweet responsible Val had kidnapped Xellos with intentions to kill him. How could this happen? Filia had worked so hard to make things right for Val so he wouldn't be burdened with the anger and pain of his previous life. It made the golden dragon completely shut down. She crumpled to the ground.

"Filia!" Lina called out as she and others went to grab her.

"How? How can this happen?" Filia asked feebly as the others helped her sit at one of the pews. "I tried to make things happy and safe for him. How could he remember? What did I do wrong?" Fresh new tears fell down Filia's cheeks as her eyes searched the faces of those around her for answers.

"Yous did nothing wrong Boss." Gravos put his hand on Filia's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah you were a great mum to him. There's else nothing different you coulda done that woulda been better." Jilas added.

"Then why did this happen?" Filia cried out in frustration.

"Was Val acting strangely before he took Xellos?" De Tanga questioned them.

"Not really." Gravos mused while tapping his chin in thought. "He looked a little funny in da face but we all figured dat was 'cause Boss here was marrying that scum Xellos."

"Funny how?" De Tanga prompted him.

"Conflicted." Amelia answered remembering seeing Val walk down the altar. "He looked ill and I think his head was hurting."

"He was fine before we went into the main room." De Tanga mumbled thinking back. "And I was with him the whole time too... no I had to take the kids to the get water and go to the bathroom. Someone must have done something when I was gone..."

"You think someone made Val remember?" Filia looked up at De Tanga in shock.

"I'm pretty darn sure. Because Gravos and Jilas are right, you did a good job with Val, there's no reason right now that he would all of a sudden remember." De Tanga rationalized.

"Whatever the reason we have to do something before Val kills Xellos or Xellos kills Val." Lina reminded them. "We need to get our weapons and go after them."

...

Deep Sea Dolphin sat in the comfort of her kitchen as she viewed the mayhem she caused through a viewing orb. The flower she had given Val had worked beautifully making the young ancient dragon remember his past life as Valgaav servant to Monster Lord Chaos Dragon Gaav. Deep Sea even added a few memories into the mix so that Val would target Xellos for sure. It wouldn't have been any fun for Deep Sea if she went to all that trouble and he ended up targeting Lina Inverse instead. Deep Sea was quite fond of Lina. She was her favourite's little sister. That and because of Lina, Hellmaster Phibrizzo was dead. And any person who aided in the death of Phibrizzo was a friend to Deep Sea.

Yes Deep Sea was very pleased with how things were turning out. She giggled constantly as she watched the viewing orb and munching on popcorn.

"So you're actually here for once and I'm still DOING ALL THE COOKING?" Deep Sea Dolphin's sous chef Carbunkle screamed at her while he was cooking in a frenzy. "AND WHY ARE YOU WATCHING THAT IN HERE?"

With a small flick of the wrist Deep Sea silenced her green furry helper cook. His mouth opened and closed but no voice came out of it.

Realizing he couldn't talk just made Carbunkle want to scream more. So in order to 'voice' his frustrations he stomped around the kitchen making as much noise as possible. He had hoped to at the very least annoy the monster lord.

Unfortunately for Carbunkle he had very little effect on changing Deep Sea's state of mind. She was still happy and not at all bothered by the loud noises. She was a chaotic creature after all so random noise actually was very calming to her. "I need more soda." Deep Sea held out her glass not even looking away from the orb.

Silently grumbling Carbunkle snatched away the glass to refill it. As much as he hated the woman she was his boss after all.

...

Xellos smiled rather calmly at Valgaav as the two of them stood on a barren desert land. He knew he wasn't in a good situation and there was little he could do to stop things. If he ran Valgaav would follow. If he did nothing Valgaav would kill him. If he fought back he could risk killing Valgaav. No matter how he pondered it there was no easy way out of this situation. "Feeling nostalgic Valgaav? This is the same place we met after the barrier went down isn't it? Going down memory lane can be such fun."

"Shut up!" Valgaav growled at him. "I'm going to have so much fun ripping you limp from limp."

"You forget you're not a monster anymore. Or that monster/dragon hybrid thing that you used to be. You're nothing but an ancient dragon. And if memory serves me your kind was easily wiped out by the golden dragons. I don't mean to toot my own horn but I'm sure you've heard of my reputation." Xellos goaded Valgaav. He had to push Valgaav's buttons for lack of other options. At the very least it allowed him to buy time to potentially come up with a plan.

"The only reason why those filthy _golden dragons _killed so many of my kind is because they attacked without warning. My people didn't have a chance to fight back until we were grossly outnumbered." Valgaav glared at him. The flower in his tux jacket front pocket pulsated in resonance with Valgaav's anger.

"So you think you can take me on in a one on one fight?" Xellos smug smile got wider at the notion.

Valgaav's eyes narrowed. "We'll see soon enough." He let out a loud roar as he begun to transform. Clothing ripped as Valgaav's body changed. Black feathered wings and sharp talons seemed to burst from Valgaav as he changed. Valgaav's roar turned into a tortured inhuman scream as he transformed into a fully fledged ancient dragon.

"Tisk tisk what a shame. That tuxedo was so nice and expensive too. And you just destroyed it without even a second thought huh? That's rather destructive of you. I'll have you it's going to came out of your allowance." Xellos waved a chastising finger at Valgaav as he taunted him.

Valgaav ignored what Xellos was saying as he flexed his dragon muscles readying to attack. "Now you die!" A beam of black crackling energy burst from Valgaav's mouth and headed straight for Xellos.

Xellos naturally dodged this attack by teleporting. "Now, now Val. You should know better than to think you can hit me with a silly beam. You've never seen your mother hit me with one when she goes on a rampage so why do you think you can?"

Valgaav paused for a moment as he considered Xellos' words. "SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER!" He screamed. The building of energy was much quicker as Valgaav shot beam after beam of energy trying to hit Xellos.

Xellos kept teleporting around avoiding hits. Truthfully he could keep this up all day however this wasn't a long term solution. Clearly Xellos couldn't spend the rest of his life dodging attacks from Valgaav. So what was he to do?

Given that Valgaav was so angry and agitated it was likely he would make mistakes. Meaning if Xellos wanted to sneak in for an attack he probably could. But whatever attack Xellos did couldn't hurt Valgaav too much. For even though the ancient dragon was on a murderous rampage he was still Val after all.

"STOP MOVING YOU COWARD!" Valgaav screamed in between blasts.

"If I stopped and stood still what challenge would there be for you?" Xellos taunted him while still teleporting around.

Valgaav stopped for a moment while Xellos still teleported around. In a way it was almost like watching a game of whack-a-mole. Valgaav could have just continued to fruitlessly attack Xellos but he had a different idea in mind. Instead of using multiple energy beams Valgaav gathered his energy and breathe and exhaled a continuous stream of black fire.

Xellos who had been still teleporting around while this was going on didn't realize what Valgaav was doing until it was too late.

...

"Where are they?" Filia looked around after they teleported to yet another area.

"Val could have teleported them anywhere." De Tanga exclaimed in frustration.

"How far can ancient dragons teleport Filia?" Lina asked Filia.

"Well golden dragons can't teleport too far but I don't know how far ancient dragon can teleport. Truthfully I've never really tried to teach Val about his powers. Since he grew so fast I concentrated on teaching him to read, write and other things about life. So I have no idea what he can do." Filia admitted.

"Filia you're a priestess. Can't you use your divine powers to locate them?" Zelgadis wondered.

Filia shook her head. "I walked away from my priestess ways some time ago. I can't sense them nor can I have visions anymore."

"Xellos is going in and out of the astral plane. Meaning he's teleporting around. Though I'm having trouble sensing where his physical body is teleporting to." De Tanga observed.

"He's probably avoiding attacks. Which means he's not attacking Val nor is Val being successful in attacking him." Zelgadis mused while tapping his fingers in thought. "Since Val isn't Val right now we need to think about this like how Valgaav would act in this situation. Where would he have taken Xellos? What would be significant to him?"

"Well even though he's got his memory back someone has clearly muddled a few things for him. Otherwise he'd know who really killed Gaav or just assume it's me again." Lina thought out loud. "If it were me he was attacking he'd probably either attack me where we first met or last fought."

"Which would be the same for Xellos too." Zelgadis agreed. "The desert was Valgaav's area of operation so we should try where he first met us."

"What if we're wrong?" Amelia wondered. "We might end up wasting more time!"

"We can't be wasting more time then we are right now talking about it. Let's go!" Lina ordered.

...

Back in town in the church Gravos and Jilas were trying to calm all the distressed guests by completely explaining the situation. Most were in disbelief that dear little Val could be a murderous monster but for most part Valgaav's former minions had them all convinced. Some of the people started to panic and potentially cause a scene. Gravos and Jilas did have their hands full though they did have some help.

Opting to stay behind Luna was there with Valgaav's former minions trying to keep people calm and seated. But instead of going for calming voices and reassurance Luna decided fear would be best. So Luna did what Luna did best. She barked orders and threatened everyone to stay quiet and not cause a fuss. Though the Zelphilian waitress didn't have her sword with her few people in the church wanted to disagree with her. Luna was a scary woman after all.

"Thanks Luna for helping us out." Jilas thanked Luna.

Luna averted her angry glare to look at the foxman. "I'm only doing this because of De Tanga. Otherwise I could care less." De Tanga hadn't asked her to stay behind but she knew going would be a bad idea. One of the reasons why would be because her presence so close to Lina would distract the younger Zelphilian. And in a battle the last thing you needed was to having something there to distract you. Along those line Luna felt that she herself would be too distracted to be a good use as her mind was still very much on the fact that De Tanga was the one that ran off to chaise Filia. This did not sit well with Luna.

'I wonder what De Tanga will say in his defence.' Luna thought to herself as she stared down the masses.

...

Xellos let out shallow breaths as he held onto his wounds. Half his body was burned by black flames. Normally this might not have been too horrible for the monster but the nature of the fire was different from normal flames. It injured Xellos but not mortally. However it slowed him down preventing him from teleporting. "Well it looks like you got me." Xellos joked with a big grin.

Seeing the smile on the monster priest's face just made Valgaav's blood boil. "Why do you always keep on smiling?" Valgaav growled as he slashed at Xellos with one of his talons.

Xellos just barely avoided the attack and stood to face his attacker. "Tisk tisk, you really need to learn to control your temper. But then again when her as your mother I guess it's not surprising you'd have a bad temper. She can never really control hers."

"SHUT UP!" Valgaav screamed while slashing at Xellos once more.

This time Xellos didn't dodge the attack and he fell to the ground while coughing up what looked like black blood. "Oh dear it looks like it's the end for me. Oh well." He laughed as he struggled to get up.

Valgaav was ready to make another attack when the others teleported in.

"VAL NO!" Filia screamed getting in the way of the attack. She put up a quick barrier to protect her and Xellos. The force of the attack was so strong that even with her barrier Filia was sent flying backwards.

Xellos caught Filia as he risked teleporting again. It was a bad decision that ended up with Xellos falling to ground when he and Filia phased back.

"XELLOS!" Filia grabbed her husband to be. "I'm sorry I ran." Filia cried with fresh tears falling down her face. With all the crying Filia had done today you'd think she'd have no more tears left to cry. And yet more fell.

"I figured you would. You're not the bravest person I know. But I figured you would have taken off after the wedding. To think you just left me at the altar is shameful. And after everything I did to make this day perfect too." Xellos taunted her.

That comment dried up Filia's tears. "WHAT? You-you-you SLIMY TRASH! HOW DARE YOU!" Filia screamed.

"I don't even know why you even bothered to come here for. It's not like there's anything your silly magic or golden dragon abilities could do." Xellos twisted the knife even more.

Filia was seeing red. If it were for the possibility of ruining of her beautiful wedding dress she would have changed into her dragon form right then and there. "Why... you... ANIMAL!" Filia screamed whipping out her mace to give him a few good whacks.

"Why is Mister Xellos doing that?" Amelia cried out in horror. "Why is he being so mean to her?"

"To feed." Lina, Zelgadis and De Tanga responded at the same time.

"ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!" Valgaav belted out another round of black flames which the group had to work hard to block.

Since Filia was so distracted by Xellos she didn't see the attack coming. It didn't matter though as Xellos got her to safety once more.

"Ahh! Filia you are such a tasty little treat." Xellos gave his bride to be a quick kiss while feeling much better.

"You were using me?" Filia exclaimed in rage. Having Xellos say mean things to her wasn't too out of the ordinary but having him lie just to get her angry to feed really made her blood boil.

"Focus Filia!" Lina snapped her fingers trying to get Filia's attention. "We've got bigger things to worry about than Xellos being a manipulative jerk! Like the ancient dragon trying to kill us!"

"Val please stop this! This isn't you. You're a good kid." De Tanga tried to calm the ancient dragon.

This had the opposite effect and made Valgaav angrier. "You have no right to tell me what I am! I don't even know who you are!" Valgaav shot an energy beam at De Tanga.

De Tanga avoided the beam and reappeared in front of the raging dragon. "You do know who I am. I'm De Tanga. Priest of Deep Sea Dolphin. And your step-father to be's best friend. I am also friends with your mother Filia."

"THAT FILTHY GOLDEN DRAGON ISN'T MY MOTHER!" Valgaav screamed while shooting more energy beams.

"Yes I am!" Filia yelled back. "Don't you remember? You merged with Dark Star and we defeated you. You came back as an egg. An ancient dragon egg. I vowed to look after, love and protect you as a mother would a son. And when you hatched you grew so quickly but you were happy. Val don't you remember this?"

"You're lying!" Valgaav screamed while holding his head. Memories that had been buried when he remembered his life as Valgaav threatened to resurface.

"Look at yourself!" Filia pleaded. "If I'm lying then why aren't you a monster? You're a full blooded ancient dragon! Tell me how that could be if I'm not telling the truth!"

Two personalities were at war in Valgaav/Val's head. One of those was the devoted minion of Chaos Dragon Gaav and the other was the doting son of Filia Ul Copt. As the war continued the purple flower that had been in Val's tuxedo pocket lay in the sand glowing in resonance to Val/Valgaav's pain.


	41. Chapter 23K

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three K, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

"Oh my it looks like we're getting to the climax!" Deep Sea giggled in delight as she continued to watch the battle unfold.

Carbunkle glared at her as he continued to cook. He was still unable to speak because of Deep Sea's silencing spell.

"Who do you think is going to win? The good son or the evil minion?" Deep Sea asked Carbunkle while she sipped her soda.

Carbunkle whom was unable to answer angrily clanged dishes.

Deep Sea looked over to her sous chef annoyed that he didn't answer her. It took her a moment to realize that Carbunkle was still silenced so there was no way for him to answer. "Oh right, sorry about that." With a wave of her hand Carbunkle's voice was returned to him.

"You crazy woman! What the hell are you doing?" Carbunkle yelled once he realized he could speak again.

"Who do you think is going to win?" She posed her question again while ignoring his.

"What are you doing? Starting a fight club? Who are these people?" Carbunkle pointed to the viewing orb. He did recognize Filia and De Tanga from when they came into the restaurant but he still didn't know who they were.

"They are my little pretties." Deep Sea exclaimed with glee.

"So what because they are pretties you're pitting a devoted son against an evil creature? Why the hell do that for?"

"No the son and the minion are the same. I just woke the sleeping beast." Deep Sea explained with pride and joy.

"Oh great so you're screwing with a poor guy's mind. Why do that at all?"

"It's a test."

Carbunkle frowned in confusing. "So you're testing the son?"

"No I'm testing the golden canary. I want to see how she sings her way out of it."

"You're one sick twisted woman."

"I'm a sick twisted thirsty woman." Deep Sea held out her glass once more.

Grumbling Carbunkle angrily snatched the glass to refill it. "I'm a classically trained chef who apprenticed under the great Chef DuMonde and what am I reduced to? A flipping soda jerk..."

...

Valgaav seemed to be in pain as he stood there before Filia and the others. The things Filia said to him were trying to unearth the memories that had been pushed down. Filia's questions rang in his head over and over again. How could she be lying to him when he wasn't even a monster anymore? "I don't know how you did it but you must have changed me." Valgaav decided angrily.

"I didn't change you and you know it." Filia stated firmly. "It happened because of Dark Star and you know that too. Please stop this! Val honey why can't you remember me? I'm your mother!" Filia pleaded with him.

"YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER!" Valgaav screamed. "Now get away from him. I have vermin to exterminate!"

"No!" Filia stood there between Valgaav and Xellos with her arms outstretched.

"Filia get out of the way." Xellos ordered her with a tired voice. It was clear that even though he had gotten a quick snack from Filia it wasn't enough to fully recover.

"No I will not." Filia sneered looking back at him.

"You can't kill him." Xellos stated rather plainly. "And you can't stop him. The only way you'd protect me from him would be getting yourself killed."

Filia ignored Xellos and put up another barrier.

"Filia get out of the way." Xellos almost growled at her.

"No. You can't tell me what to do! I'm not going to let my son kill you." Filia declared.

"Stupid stubborn dragon." Xellos exclaimed in both admiration and irritation.

"Get out of the way!" Valgaav yelled at Filia. "I want to kill him, not you!" He roared loudly so much so that it was almost enough to knock everyone off their feet.

"Why would you just want to kill Xellos?" De Tanga questioned stepping a couple steps closer to the enraged ancient dragon. "Sure Xellos has done you wrong but so have the golden dragons. It was their race that killed yours. I know before you were reborn you had a strong grudge against them. So why Xellos and not Filia? Why spare her life when she is as you put it a 'filthy golden dragon'?"

"SHUT UP!" Valgaav screamed.

"You can't hurt her because deep down Val Ul Copt is still in there and can't bare the idea of his mother being killed." De Tanga's voice got louder the bolder he got.

"SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER!" Again Valgaav screamed while holding his head in pain.

"Then kill her. She is a golden dragon, your sworn enemy. Kill her." De Tanga dared him.

Valgaav's eyes were wide as he considered what De Tanga said to him. It was true, it all was. Because of the golden dragons he was the last of his kind. Shouldn't the death of his race be more important than the death of just one? Even as Valgaav thought about inside Val was screaming. His voice was demanding to be heard. It had only one message repeating over and over again. 'Don't hurt Mom!' And even though Valgaav wasn't trying to listen to this desperate voice it got to him. "No! My business is with Xellos. He killed my Master so he must pay for it."

"Xellos didn't kill your master." Lina spoke up. "Before you had thought it was me, and even though that was wrong too someone has played with your mind Valgaav. Yes they gave you back your memories but they also filled it with lies. The true culprit guilty of killing your master, the one who murdered Chaos Dragon Gaav was none other than Hellmaster Phibrizzo."

The piece of news almost broke Valgaav's mind. He couldn't comprehend it at all. Could Phibrizzo really have done it? The answer of course was yes, there was little that Hellmaster Phibrizzo couldn't do. He was the most powerful monster lord after all. So it wasn't a huge stretch to believe that the crazy monster lord would have done this. However this piece of news did not sit right with Valgaav. If it were true that Hellmaster Phibrizzo was the true murderer then there wasn't anything that Valgaav could do. Hellmaster Phibrizzo was dead. There was no way to make a dead man pay for his crimes. So therefore Valgaav decided on one thing, Lina Inverse was a liar. "YOU'RE LYING! You're just trying to confuse me so you can protect that disgusting Xellos! Trying to trick me by shifting the blame to someone whom I can't even make pay is unforgivable. I will kill you next Lina Inverse, after I kill Xellos!"

"Great even in this warped version of Valgaav he still wants to kill me..." Lina mumbled to herself.

Without much warning Valgaav belted out another wave of black fire. Everyone managed to get out of the way except for Filia and Xellos. Both of them were still in the barrier with Filia desperately trying to hold it up.

"Filia get away! He doesn't want to kill you!" Xellos yelled at his bride to be.

"If I do he'll kill you! I would rather die than let that happen!" Filia declared as she struggled to keep the barrier up.

...

Back in the kitchen both Deep Sea and Carbunkle were quiet as they watched the battle. Carbunkle was quiet since he was confused as to what was going on, while Deep Sea was quiet for a completely different reason.

"She would die for him?" Deep Sea mumbled to herself. "And he almost died for her. Well then, I guess the game is over." And with that Deep Sea teleported out of the kitchen leaving a bewildered Carbunkle behind.

"Where did that crazy woman go now?"

...

"AQUA CRATE!" Lina and Zelgadis both casted at the same time to try and combat Valgaav's dark flames. However the combined spells seemed to have little or no affect on them.

"FREEZE ARROW!" Amelia casted to add to Lina and Zelgadis' spell already in progress but even with that it failed to change anything.

"What are we going to do?" Gourry wondered out loud. Without his sword of light Gourry could do little to help with this fight. A dragon's hide would surely be tougher than any ordinary sword. Attacking with what he had would be suicide. And not to mention this was Val after all. He couldn't knowingly try and kill Filia's foster son even if Val was trying to kill Xellos and Filia.

"I'm going to try and teleport them out." De Tanga decided.

"You can get into a golden dragon barrier?" Lina asked through gritted teeth. Though her spell hadn't been initially successful Lina was still trying as was Zelgadis and Amelia. But the repeated spell use was taxing on the mages.

"No. I'm going have to teleport them barrier and all from the outside."

"If you do that then you'll get hit by the flames!" Amelia protested.

"Isn't that Val's flower on the ground over there? The one from his jacket? It's glowing." Gourry pointed out.

The other four looked to where Gourry was pointing and realized he was right.

"That must be how Val's memories got altered!" Zelgadis realized.

"If we destroy the flower then it might break the spell that's on Val." Lina decided while stopping the aqua crate.

Amelia and Zelgadis stopped as well.

"De Tanga do you think you can get it?" Lina asked De Tanga.

"I think s-" De Tanga started to say but was cut off by the sudden appearance of a woman with blue hair.

She was tall and beautiful with her long dark blue hair flowing and her elegant robes the same light blue of her eyes. The woman appeared just steps away from the flower and she was quick to pluck the blossom from the sandy ground.

"Who's that?" Amelia wondered in an almost near whisper.

"My Master..." De Tanga's voice was equally quiet.

Deep Sea looked up at the ancient dragon with a smile on her face. She walked ever so calmly toward him getting between him and Filia. The black flames seemed to engulf Deep Sea but not a single ember got close to her skin. She was quick to silence the fire and Valgaav was just left standing there puffing hot air. "Tisk, tisk you are a bad boy." She taunted him while waving her finger.

"Who... who are you?" Valgaav demanded.

"Dear boy you know if you kill them you'll be upset. That's why you don't want to hurt the golden canary. She is your mother and she loves you very much." Deep Sea stated in a rare calm voice. Her eyes were clear too which was unnatural for her. "She would rather die than hurt you, and she would die for him." Deep Sea looked to the injured Xellos with a sad smile. "And if your step father to be didn't care as much as he did he would have killed you himself."

"WHO ARE YOU?" Valgaav growled getting right in her face.

With a small flick of the wrist Deep Sea sent Valgaav flying backwards onto his back. "You know why I made you remember? You know why I made you think Xellos killed your master?" She dared him while teleporting onto his chest.

Valgaav tried to swat her away but failed to do so. The monster lord was too quick.

"I wanted to see how your mother would handle herself. Because you see she was about to go into this marriage with doubt. My dear De Tanga told me Filia and Xellos love each other but it seemed that Filia herself wasn't as sure."

Filia's head lowered as she knew that what Deep Sea was saying was true.

"Of course I'm sure she has no doubts anymore. If you are willing to die for someone you care about then you can be completely sure that is a person whom you love with your whole heart." Deep Sea conjured up some strange blue energy that engulfed her hand. She held that hand to the one that held the flower. The flower responded to the energy and stopped glowing.

Within instances Valgaav's ancient dragon body changed. It morphed back into the human looking teen he had been. The look on the young ancient dragon's eyes were one of confusion. "Huh? What happened? Where am I?" Val asked looking down at his hands and his state of dress. Or rather his lack of clothing. What he had on was shredded.

"Val?" Filia called out with tear filled eyes.

"Mom? What's going on? What happened to you? Who attacked Xellos?" Val asked walking over to his foster mother.

Hearing the word 'mom' got Filia running to her son. She hugged him fiercely happy that her son remembered who she was.

"Mom what happened?" Val asked once more worried and confused.

"It doesn't matter. Everything is fine now." Filia exclaimed happily.

"My clothes are ruined! So I don't think that's fine." Val grumbled once he managed to get out of his mother's death grip.

"And that is coming out of your allowance." Xellos chided with a waved finger.

Val glared at him.

Though De Tanga was happy he found himself looking for his master. But it turned out that Deep Sea Dolphin had disappeared into thin air.

It wasn't hard for De Tanga to figure out where his master would go he figured she would have gone back to her restaurant. And he was right, Deep Sea was in her kitchen and she appeared to be cooking up a storm.

"Master?" De Tanga questioned her as he teleported into the kitchen.

"Holy Jebus!" Carbunkle yelled in fright. "You damned monsters! Always teleporting in without warning! I've had enough of this! I'm taking a break!" The green furry creature declared as he stormed out of the kitchen.

"I'm sure all that fighting will have gotten the bride and groom's appetite up. It's a good thing I'm making a feast!" Deep Sea bubbled as she cooked away.

"Master why did you do this?" De Tanga questioned her in a quiet serious tone. He hoped if he spoke serious enough that Deep Sea would respond in equal levels herself.

"They do love each other don't they?" She posed that question in a reflective sort of a way.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." De Tanga exclaimed in exasperation.

"Now they can start this marriage with clear heads knowing they are making the right choices."

"You actually did do this for their own good?" The idea was novel to De Tanga.

"You want your friends to be happy right? Plus if you were to marry that holy knight I wouldn't want you to second guess yourself about the golden canary." Deep Sea wiggled her eyebrows almost suggestively.

"Wha? What are you talking about?" De Tanga responded all flustered. "I'm not marrying Lu- anyone at the moment!"

"I want grandkids. Now go Mommy has work to do." Deep Sea snapped her fingers sending her minion back to the desert where the others were.

'Grandkids? Mommy? What is Deep Sea my mother now?' De Tanga wondered to himself as he went to the others. As much as De Tanga wanted to ponder his master's words he had to get himself and the others back into town. There was still a wedding waiting in the wings after all.


	42. Chapter 23L

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three L, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

"I did what?" Val exclaimed once Filia and Xellos briefly explained what had happened.

"You tried to kill me." Xellos stated rather matter-of-factly.

"Was I really such a horrible person before I was reborn?" Val asked more to himself than to the others around him. True he had been told many stories of his life before but deep down he couldn't really believe he was like that. It was hard to envision yourself an evil hateful person when you've had a happy and well adjusted life. Hearing what he almost done made Val want to throw up. He wasn't a murderer. (Though he had thought about killing Xellos before, but then who hasn't?)

"Val-honey you can't take this to heart. Valgaav had a very horrible life. I think watching your entire race destroyed before your eyes would change anyone." Filia tried to reassure her foster son.

"Still I tried to kill you!" Val protested angrily very much disturbed by the idea.

"Xellos was your target not me. You were even pleading me to get out of the way. Deep down even though it was Valgaav in control you were affecting his actions. Otherwise you would have targeted me for sure." Filia pointed logically.

"Why did I go after Xellos for?"

"You can blame my Master for that." De Tanga interjected almost bitterly. "She put some false memories in your head making you think Xellos killed Chaos Dragon Gaav."

Val shook his head in disgust. "Do we know why she was meddling again?"

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "In her own warped way she thought she was helping."

"That's crazy!" Val scoffed at the idea. "How would getting me to try and kill Xellos be helping?"

"She was testing my resolve." Filia explained. "She claimed I was having doubts and that I shouldn't get married when I was feeling that way. And she was right. You shouldn't enter a marriage with doubt in your heart and I wasn't feeling sure about getting married." She admitted sadly. "But I'm clear in my mind and heart now; I'm ready to get married."

"Xellos isn't. His tux is trashed and Val's is completely gone." Lina pointed out.

"What are we going to do?" Filia exclaimed in a panic. "The tailor is already mad with us and I doubt he'd fix the tuxes even if he could!"

"I wouldn't want to fix them if I were him." Zelgadis added sarcastically.

Filia glared daggers at Zelgadis for his comment. They were huge evil daggers that made the chimera want to shrink into the sand.

"Well you could just postpone the wedding till you get Val a new suit." Gourry suggested.

Truthfully it was a very good and logical suggestion from the blond swordsmen. However Filia clearly didn't like it so much as she proceed to pound him with her mace. Even wearing a wedding dress Filia still had it strapped to her leg.

"Is there a reason why you're wearing that today of all days?" Xellos pondered with a bemused grin. "Were you planning something... 'kinky' for our consummation?" His eyebrow raised in a suggestive manner.

"You RAW GARBAGE!" Filia screamed ready to beat the crap out of him.

Xellos teleported behind Filia and whispered into her ear, "I love it when you talk dirty."

"Would you stop that!" Filia demanded all flustered and red in the face. "We are facing big problems here! What are we going to do about Val and your tuxes?"

"Mine is easy to fix." Xellos insisted. To prove his point he phased out and phased back in with a completely fixed tux. It looked exactly the way it did when he left the tailor's shop. He smiled devilishly as he was pleased with himself.

"Good for you Xellos. But that doesn't help Val." De Tanga commented dryly. "Only a monster could make a suit that quickly."

"Okay does anyone know any monster suit makers?" Lina posed the question.

A tumbleweed blew by them as no one came up with an answer to the question. It was clear that no one knew of any such monster that could help with this problem. Well perhaps Gourry might have had a suggestion if it were not for the fact that he had been beaten into the sand. Though Amelia was healing him at that moment Gourry wasn't exactly listening to the conversation.

"Forget the custom tuxedo idea. Let's just get a black suit and a purple bow tie." De Tanga suggested while snatching up the purple flower from Val's tux jacket. Deep Sea had discarded the flower after breaking the spell. Before Val could get in a protest De Tanga grabbed the young ancient dragon's arm and teleported them away into the middle of the busy city.

It was clear right away this wasn't Val's home. "Huh? Where are we?" Val asked in confusion as he looked around. He didn't recognize this place at all!

"Valsteep." De Tanga answered bluntly not caring to elaborate further. Instead he dragged Val into the nearest men's apparel store.

"Hi and welcome to 'Men's World Wear'. I'm Cindy and what can I do for you today?" A blue haired sales clerk greeted Val and De Tanga as they entered the shop. She wasn't a tall woman and she seemed a bit young to be a knowledgeable sales clerk but her trendy short hair cut and stylish clothing screamed professionalism. Her confident smile was just the icing on the cake. The only thing that seemed a bit out of place with Cindy was the silver whistle that hung on a chain around her neck. Perhaps it was just a strange fashion statement but it did seem odd in a clothing store.

"We need help, badly."

"Wedding tux mishaps are my bread and butter." Cindy replied with her confident smile broadening.

"Yes we need a black suit or tux that will fit him." De Tanga motioned to Val even though it was very clear that it was the young ancient dragon that needed the new outfit and not him. "Preferably similar to the one I'm wearing and we need it extra quick."

Cindy didn't even flinch at this request she reacted as though it was normal everyday request to get a rushed tux for a wedding. But then again this was Valsteep after all, shopping central of the demon peninsula. "Anything else?"

"Ah, yes right, we need a purple bow tie to match this flower." De Tanga showed her the purple carnation.

"You mean just like the one you're wearing?" Cindy prompted him.

For a moment De Tanga stood there blankly. He completely forgot that he was wearing a bow tie too. "Um... yes... just like the one I'm wearing." He responded sheepishly.

"And he'll need shoes too I'm assuming." Cindy added while motioning to Val's lack of footwear.

"Um... yeah shoes too..."

"Okay." Cindy replied calmly before blowing the whistle around her neck.

Within seconds of the whistle a team of workers appeared armed with measuring tapes ready for Cindy's instructions.

"Standard black, purple bow." Cindy ordered them in almost a military fashion.

Right away the team ushered Val over to a pedestal and proceeded to measure each inch of the young ancient dragon.

There was a slight bit of fear in Val's eyes as he looked over to De Tanga. He wasn't used to being handled by so many people.

"So what sort of price range are we looking at?" Cindy inquired while motioning De Tanga to sit down in one of the nearby chairs.

"Preferably not terribly expensive. It's just a replacement tux/suit for a wedding that's supposed to be happening right now." De Tanga explained.

"Might I ask what happened to his original garment?"

"A monster lord messed with his mind bringing back memories of his previous incarnation and made him want to kill the groom by transforming into a big black dragon." De Tanga's response was an alarming one but his tone of voice failed to carry the seriousness of situation.

"I see." Cindy wasn't fazed by De Tanga's answer. Valsteep was close to Zelphilia after all. Cindy had seen many bizarre things in her time as a sales clerk that she was rarely surprised anymore. "Is he planning on changing into a dragon again?"

"Oh no!" De Tanga was quick to respond and shake his head. "He's going to stay in human form till well after the wedding at least."

"Well I was going to suggest we could add in a transformational charm that would allow him to change forms and not ruin the garment." Cindy explained.

"Such a thing exists? And you sell them?"

"Why yes. We don't get many customer's needing them, but we do have a few. I believe they were originally designed for golden dragons. But they can work on any creature that transforms into something that would ruin clothing. They are very popular with werewolves but there is so few of them around these parts. Or least nowadays."

"Oh." Was all that De Tanga could say.

"Okay we're finished." One of the Cindy's team members announced leading Val back to De Tanga and Cindy.

Val was dressed in a standard black tuxedo, black shoes and a purple bow tie. On first glance it looked exactly the same as the previous tux Val had been wearing before he had ripped it to shreds. But when you took a closer look at the garment it was obvious that the materials were much better quality.

"How...? It looks... exactly the same!" De Tanga exclaimed in shock. "Actually it looks better..."

"Well the fabric used in that tux he had been wearing was a poor quality one." The worker explained. "But it was a classic design so it wasn't hard to match the style. And his shape wasn't terribly hard to get a proper size for."

"This is going to cost a fortune isn't it?" De Tanga wondered out loud pale in the face. He wasn't one to hold close his worldly possessions but he didn't really want to send tremendous amounts of money. Especially if the tuxedo was going to cost him money that he didn't have.

"As my worker said the material for the original tuxedo was a cheap one. Though this one looks to be far more luxurious it's really just more a standard tuxedo fabric." Cindy explained as she, De Tanga and Val went to the sales counter.

"I'm really sorry about this De Tanga." Val apologized feeling bad that monster priest was going to have to spend his money on him.

"I should be the one apologizing not you Val. It was my Master after all that caused this mess. So it's only natural that I help fix this." De Tanga insisted as he pulled out his wallet.

...

"Where do you think they are?" Filia wondered as they waited out in the desert for De Tanga and Val to return. They could have teleported back to town but that probably would have been a bad idea. Filia's teleporting abilities were nowhere near as good as a monster and Xellos was still recovering from his injuries.

"Probably in town getting a new suit." Lina rationalized.

Filia let out a tired sigh. "How can Val get a new suit quick enough that won't look terrible?"

"Does it matter what the suit looks like?" Amelia posed the question. "Isn't the important part of a wedding is to declare your undying love and devotion in front of your cherished friends and family? Does what we're wearing matter more than the fact that we're all here to celebrate your love?"

Xellos almost gagged on Amelia's sugar dusted feelings of love. "Please Miss Amelia, I'm trying to recover." He protested sickly.

Filia ignored Xellos and smiled at Amelia. "You know what Amelia you're right. It doesn't matter what Val ends up wearing, as long as he's there for me."

"And he will be for sure." De Tanga announced as he and Val teleported back.

"Oh my gods it looks exactly the same!" Filia exclaimed looking Val over.

"No it looks better." Zelgadis grumbled in envy. "I bet it's not even itchy at all."

"Mom can you stop that?" Val requested feeling uncomfortable with his foster mother fussing over him. After being measured, stripped and dressed Val didn't really want to have more people crowding around him. The experience was almost traumatizing to him.

"De Tanga how much did this cost?" Filia right away turned to De Tanga with a worried expression marring her pretty face.

"Don't worry about it Filia. I'm Xellos' best man after all. It's my job to fix messes like these." De Tanga brushed off Filia's worries. "Besides I'm sure you've spent enough on this wedding as it is."

"Yes don't worry; Val will be paying De Tanga back with his allowance." Xellos added.

"I don't get allowance." Val retorted.

"Well then I guess he'll just have to get a job. It's only the right thing to do." Xellos flashed an insincere smile.

By the glare that Val was giving his step-dad to be De Tanga was starting to wish that maybe he took Cindy up on that transformation charm idea. "Enough. No is paying me for anything. Now let's just get back to the wedding shall we?"

...

Inside the church things were quiet but they were tense. Not a single person moved from their seats as Luna wasn't allowing them to leave. Everyone was to stay till after the wedding was over no matter how long it was going to take.

The monster slayer paced around the church going up and down the aisle watching everyone intently. Luna's glaring eyes darted from person to person in the room. Her focus only stay long on those she deemed flight risks. She was so focused on her job at hand that she was almost surprised by De Tanga's sudden appearance in the room.

"Luna?" De Tanga called out to her timidly.

This got everyone in the church whispering amongst themselves as De Tanga's reappearance meant something happened. Either the wedding was still on or it was cancelled.

Luna didn't respond to De Tanga's calling. She instead just looked up at him not sure what she wanted to say to him.

Realizing he wasn't going to get an answer De Tanga walked up to his 'date' so he could talk to her in a quieter voice. "Luna would you come with me for a moment? We need to talk." He almost whispered to her.

"Is he dead?" Luna asked rather curtly.

"No. No one is dead."

"Is the boy still trying to kill the groom?"

"No. Everything's fine. We're going to resume the wedding soon."

Luna frowned at De Tanga. "Then what's the problem?"

De Tanga almost rolled his eyes in frustration. "I need to talk to you." He whispered impatiently.

"Why?" She prompted him.

"You know why." He almost growled at her.

"No I don't. And whatever silly thing you want to talk about can wait. These people are becoming flight risks, so let's just start the damn wedding." Luna voice was forceful but not in a normal jesting manner. She clearly wasn't enjoying ordering people around as she would normally.

De Tanga was going to plead with her some more but Luna just turned away from him and went to take her seat proving that this was not open for discussion. This left a very sour taste in the monster priest's mouth but there wasn't much else he could do. Luna wasn't going to talk to him till after the wedding. 'I guess I failed the test...' De Tanga thought to himself miserably.


	43. Chapter 23M

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three M, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

With everyone back and in their places it was time for the wedding to continue.

Filia stood there at the altar with confidence even though she knew by the stares and whispers that she was what they were gossiping about. But Filia didn't pay too much attention to it, as it was Xellos she was marrying after all. She had to be given some leeway.

Though Filia was feeling fine Val wasn't. He felt horrible about what had happened and what could have happened. He never wanted his friends and neighbours to have a reason to feel afraid around him. But now how could they not? He was loose cannon who at any moment could turn into the killer ancient dragon minion of Chaos Dragon Gaav. Val didn't like that he had this hidden monster sleeping inside of him.

As much as Val didn't like how things had gone he was going to push it all past him and try and focus and be supportive of his mother.

The priest cleared his throat as he opened his book once more. "Now let's hope we can't get through the rest of the wedding without any other mishaps shall we?" He joked lightly getting a couple laughs out of the crowd. The laughs were good, because it eased a bit of the tension in the room. "Do you Filia take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Filia let out a big sigh before saying those words she had been previously scared to say, "I do."

The priest himself let out a sigh of relief before turning to Xellos. "Do you Xellos take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall life?"

"I do." Xellos responded confidently.

"May I have the rings?"

Aaron the ring bearer whom had been very bored waiting for the wedding to end stomped his way over to the priest to hand over the pillow with the rings on it. "You're going to have to undo the knot because they thought I'd lose them." Aaron sneered at Filia and Xellos before going back to his seat.

The people in the church chuckled as Filia and Xellos took their future spouse's ring.

"Now Filia will you take Xellos' hand and repeat after me? I Filia," The priest prompted her.

"I Filia,"

"Give you this ring,"

"Give you this ring,"

"As a token of my love and devotion to you,"

"As a token of my love and devotion to you,"

"So we may be bonded together forever."

"So we may be bonded together forever." Filia placed the ring on Xellos' finger. She dared spied a look at his face and saw a different kind of a smile from the monster priest. Xellos looked happy but in a good way not in a I'm going to cause trouble sort of a way.

"Now Xellos, please take Filia's hand and repeat after me. I Xellos,"

"I Xellos,"

"Give you this ring,"

"Give you this ring,"

"As a token of my love and devotion to you,"

"As a token of my love and devotion to you,"

"So we may be bonded together forever."

"So we may be bonded together forever." Xellos took the ring that matched the one he wore and placed it on Filia's delicate finger.

"Now I must ask now, if there is anyone who can think of a reason for these two not to wed please speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest posed the dreaded question to the crowd. It was always the part that the priest hated the most about weddings. Why bother with this silly tradition of giving naysayers a chance to ruin a wedding? Thankfully this priest hadn't had too many people speak up during the ceremonies he officiated but it did happen from time to time. And it was never a good thing when it did.

Perhaps everyone in the room was reading the priest's mind because they all too were apprehensive. With all that had already happened it wasn't hard to believe that almost everyone was holding their breaths at that moment waiting for something else bad to happen. The church was so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop.

After a few moments of dead silence the priest had decided enough time had passed and was about to continue when something came bursting into the church.

"THIS UNION CANNOT BE SANCTIONED!" A vile looking creature hissed. This creature was green and hairy with many talons and large horns. It looked like such a hodgepodge of creatures that you could only assume it was an ugly chimera. The reality was that it was not a chimera or a creature but the beast form of a monster.

Xellos raised an eyebrow at the monster that chose to interrupt his wedding. This monster didn't look like one Xellos recognize. He assumed it was probably a spawn of a lesser ranked monster of Hellmaster Phibrizzo's brood. Either way though crude looking this monster wasn't exactly a weakling.

Luna rolled her eyes as she glared at the monster. The only weapon she had on her at that moment was just a butter knife and in no means was that a proper weapon at all. Especially to face a rogue monster. But for Luna, a butter knife was all she needed. "Go away." Luna ordered rather plainly. She didn't give the monster a chance to retort, she just threw the butter knife at the monster.

Given that it was just a butter knife and the woman appeared to be a normal mortal the monster chose not to try and evade the flying flatware. This was a poor choice of actions as the moment the butter knife touched the monster the monster was dead to rights. It flailed in pain as white hot flames engulfed it making it disappear in a puff of smoke.

Luna sat down with a satisfied smug smile plastered to her face. She had wanted to kill something for a few days now so this made her feel better.

The bewildered priest shook his head before continuing on. "Well if no one else protests, then I by the power invested to me by Cepheid pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!"

Filia was all ready for a light feather kiss on the lips but Xellos would have none of that. He pulled her into an intense fiery hot kiss while wrapping his arms around him. She was trapped in his embrace and there was no way Filia was going to escape.

There were chorus of claps and hoots as they cheered on the pair. They had finally done it; Xellos and Filia were finally married. And their first kiss as husband and wife was shaping up to the kiss that ended all kisses.

The corners of Xellos' mouth turned up into a devilish smile as he kissed Filia. Knowing that he had finally claimed his prize Xellos was going to have his fun. And with that Xellos and Filia vanished.

Gasps of shock and surprise filled the church once more. All these disappearing acts were getting so troublesome!

"Where the hell did they go now?" Lina grumbled clearly not impressed one bit.

...

Filia felt dizzy from the kiss and the teleportation. She had no idea where Xellos had taken her or why he had done it. But wherever he had taken her it smelled like roses.

Xellos smiled as he ended the kiss and almost threw his wife down. She didn't land on the floor; no Xellos threw her onto a bed.

The room Xellos had taken Filia was to her own bedroom however it had been transformed. Rose petals covered the floor and the bed and a hundred candles were lit giving the room a warm glow. Music even played ever so faintly in the background coming from some unknown source.

"Xellos?" Filia called out timidly in confusion. She did realize where she was but she was a bit confused by all this. When had he done all this? And for what purpose? She was going to ask him but the lusty look in his eyes answered all of Filia's questions.

"Go on, call me names. I want you to talk dirty to me." Xellos purred as he almost devoured her neck with hungry kisses. His fingers worked feverishly to undo all the lace bindings of the dress so to free his bride so he might explore her bare flesh with his sinful lips.

"Xellos!" Filia cried out in protested. "You can't! We can't! All those people in the church-"

"Can wait. I have waited to claim you and I will not be denied any longer!" He growled at her claiming her lips again in a passionate kiss.

Filia wanted to resist, she had to. She couldn't just leave everyone in the church waiting like that. It wasn't right. Yes consummating a relationship was a natural thing but not before the reception! No that was something that was done at the start of the honeymoon. Xellos was clearly jumping the gun here, and Filia needed to put a stop to it.

As much as Filia held to her convictions her body failed to agree with what her mind was saying. No it was responding very much to Xellos' hands and lips. She knew it was wrong but Filia kissed him back desperately trying to get off any article of her new husband's clothing. "This... is... not... right..." Filia protested in between kisses.

"If it were right it wouldn't be so good." Xellos purred as he finally managed to slip Filia out of the dress. He would have tossed the garment in any which direction that was away from the bed but then Filia would have surely killed him. So he had to stop what he was doing to carefully place the dress on a chair.

The whole time Filia was glaring at Xellos. She did not want anything to happen to that dress. "We shouldn't be doing this now. We've left all those people in the church. What are they going to think? We should be doing this after the reception and during the honeymoon." Even though Filia was nagging Xellos she made no effort to leave the bed or try and get her dress back.

"When do I ever listen to the silly things you say?" Xellos teased her as he climbed back onto the bed. He didn't give her a chance to protest as he was already kissing her again.

As Filia let out a moan she knew she wasn't going to be leaving that bedroom for a very long time.

...

"What are we going to do? Should we look for them?" Amelia wondered as everyone was talking amongst themselves in the church. No one had left yet as it was still very uncertain as to what exactly had happened.

"Where would we look? It's not like anyone took them. They teleported out of here." Lina rationalized while sitting in the one of the pews rubbing her sore feet.

"Why would they do that for? They know they have a reception to go to!" Amelia exclaimed in irritation.

"More likely it was Xellos that teleported them and I doubt he gave Filia an option." Zelgadis surmised. "Leave it to Xellos to piss off almost everyone at his wedding."

"What if he didn't? What if there is something really wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong." De Tanga quickly interrupted. "I can guarantee that."

Amelia frowned in confusion. "How can you be so sure of that?"

"Let's just say I have a 'feeling' things are okay." De Tanga explained cryptically.

"Xellos' boss isn't worried." Gourry pointed out. "I think she's passed out from drinking."

"What is Xellos doing with my Mother, De Tanga?" Val glared at De Tanga demanding an answer.

"Believe me you're better off not knowing."

Val narrowed his eyes at him. If Val thought about it enough he probably would have come to the same conclusion that De Tanga had. And if he did he probably would want his brain scrubbed. Thankfully Val wasn't in a real thinking mood so he wasn't pondering the possibilities too much. "How long do you think they are going to be?"

"Probably a while. I think it would be a good idea if we moved everyone to the reception area while we wait for Filia and Xellos." De Tanga suggested.

"Good I'm starving!" Lina rubbed her hands together greedily as she thought about all the goodies waiting for her to gobble up.

"Miss Lina we can't eat until Miss Filia and Mister Xellos get there." Amelia was quick to scold the dragon spooker.

"But I'm hungry! I'm going to die if I don't eat something soon!" Lina cried out miserably in the loudest most melodramatic way she could. She even fell to her side lying on the pew as if to demonstrate that she's wasting away.

"I'm hungry too!" Gourry added with almost as much dramatic flair as Lina.

"No food till the bride and groom are present!" Amelia shook her finger at Lina and Gourry.

"Who's going to carry the wino over there?" Val wondered motioning to the drunken Greater Beast Zellas.

At that moment De Tanga felt seven sets of eyes on him. It was clear that he was the nominated fool. "Great..."

...

When you lived in a house that was on the outskirts of town there was one real nice benefit to it; you could be as loud as you wanted and no one would complain. However in this instance Filia might have gotten some noise complaints if everyone wasn't at the reception. The noise level from Filia's bedroom was so loud that it almost shook the house.

"Oh Cepheid!" Filia let out a huge sigh as she relaxed on the bed. She was exhausted and a complete mess but boy did she feel good. It had been a while and Xellos wasn't your average partner. He did things to Filia that she didn't even know could be done.

"He had nothing to do with that I would appreciate you not mentioning his name in our bed." Xellos protested as he nibbled on Filia's ear.

"This is my bed. Not ours." Filia corrected him.

"So we get married and already you're kicking me to the curb? I'm your husband, where am I going to sleep?"

"You're a monster you don't need to sleep." Filia huffed.

"Fine then we won't sleep in this bed. Not that I was planning to anyway." Xellos' lips left Filia's ear and travelled down her neck.

"Oh no you don't! I'm too tired for another round and we need to get back to the reception. I'm sure everyone is quite angry with us." Filia pushed Xellos off her and got out of bed.

"Good I can definitely go for a good meal. I'm starving." Xellos smiled evilly. "I bet you worked up quite an appetite too."

"Shut up and get ready!" Filia ordered while blushing furiously.

_(Author's Notes: Well they finally did it, they finally got married. I know the wedding ceremony might have seemed a little non-traditional but I didn't want to go with a standard catholic or Christian wedding. So I kinda winged it a bit. And as for the after wedding nookie... well I could have possibly written the whole scene out, but I'm not one into writing lemons for the public. Plus that's kinda a no-no on here anyway. So just image the steamiest Xellos/Filia lemon you've read for that part. :P)_


	44. Chapter 23N

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three N, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

It took a bit of time to usher everyone from the wedding to the reception area. Some guests were happy just to be able to get up and stretch their legs while others were apprehensive to leave. Given how unpredictable things had been it wasn't strange that people didn't want to go. Filia and Xellos could reappear at any second after all.

In the end it didn't matter as the wedding party managed to convince everyone to head to the reception. More likely Filia and Xellos wanted to make a grand entrance as husband and wife anyway so everyone should be in the same place.

Once everyone was at the reception and seated it became a question of what to do next. The wedding party was at a bit of loss here. No one could eat or dance as those would be faux pas to start without the bride and groom present.

Drinking might have been an option but it would have been a poor one. Everyone getting drunk at the very least would have ruined their appetites for the coming feast. At worst everyone would be so hammered on empty stomachs that they would ruin everything with outlandish behaviour.

So what else could they do besides wait? Sitting around doing nothing wouldn't have been fair to the guests; they already had to wait that all time for the wedding itself with all those interruptions. They had to do something.

The solution? Put on a little variety show of course!

It started off with Gravos and Jilas trying to do a double juggling act. But as you can guess with them only having one set's worth of eyes between them that things didn't go well. But the two failed in such a comical way that it made everyone laugh.

Amelia went up next and sang a set of 'uplifting' songs about love, happiness and peace. If there had been any other monster hanging around the princess would have surely driven them away.

After Amelia went Gourry, then De Tanga, then Zelgadis, then Lina and so on... till everyone of Filia's friends and/or family had done something to provide entertainment for the crowd.

Somewhere between Zelgadis guitar playing and Lina's fire dancing De Tanga decided it was time to have that talk with Luna.

Since getting to the reception Luna had made it a point to stay away from De Tanga. She avoided eye contact and pretty much ignored his presence. It was crystal clear that the monster slayer didn't want to talk to Deep Sea's priest.

De Tanga wasn't stupid; he knew she didn't want to talk to him. And it wasn't a good idea to start a drama at someone else's wedding. But the wedding had already had a lot of drama which in turn had caused this current drama so he felt entitled to add to it. Plus Filia and Xellos weren't even there as it is.

Though De Tanga wanted to storm over to Luna, grab her by the arm and drag her off somewhere he didn't. Partly because if he did that she probably would kill him. Instead De Tanga calmly walked over to where Luna was sitting and sat down at the table with her.

The other guests sitting at the table right away realized this wasn't a situation they wanted be around so they took off the moment De Tanga sat down.

"Luna we need to talk." De Tanga stated rather firmly.

Luna rolled her eyes and glared at him. "We don't have anything we need to talk about."

"Yes we do. You're mad at me."

"I'm not mad, what reason would I be?" Luna's voice was extra icy.

"You're mad because I went after Filia when she ran off."

Luna looked away from De Tanga and focused her attention on her little sister's fire dancing. "Why would I care what you choose to do?"

"Because I've been spending these past few months trying to get you to decide to let me date you! You should be upset that I would go off so quickly to chase the woman I once was involved with!"

Luna turned her head again to glare at De Tanga once more. "Why did you chase after her?"

De Tanga was a little taken aback as he wasn't expecting her to go to the heart of the matter so quickly. "Well... she's my friend... something was wrong and I had to see what it was."

"Filia has other friends..." Luna reminded him.

"I can teleport they can't. There's no way Xellos was going to bring her back. It had to be me." De Tanga justified his actions.

"So... you considered all that in the second it took you to decide to run off after her?" Luna's eyes narrowed as she knew damned well what the truth was.

"Alright I wasn't thinking! But I wasn't chasing after her because I thought I had a chance with her! Xellos is my best friend, and her leaving him at the altar would have devastated him."

Luna looked away again as she was finding it hard to look him in the face. "Do whatever you want, I don't care."

"Oh so that's how it is? After all these past few months of trying my hardest to impress you, I make one mistake and that's it? You decide I fail and I get dropped like that?" De Tanga didn't care how loud he was being or if everyone was staring at him.

Luna was quite not really sure how to respond to his demanding questions.

"I'm so stupid!" De Tanga growled. "I should have seen it all along! You were never going to date me! You were just stringing me along ready to ditch me at a moment's notice. I should have known you wouldn't want to commit to a relationship! Of course I just made things that much easier for you didn't I? You didn't have to tell me the truth that you never wanted to date me you just waited for me to screw up! I bet that's why you came here with me. You wanted me to screw up because you were too much of a coward to tell me to my face that you never going to date me!" De Tanga was furious. Whether or not it was the truth or just speculation De Tanga was boiling over with rage and anger.

Those who knew the reputation of Luna Inverse knew that screaming at the monster slayer was a very very bad idea. Especially if you, who was doing the screaming, was in fact a monster. Luna may have not been armed with her vast array of blades but she was still very much a deadly force to be reckoned with. Any person that had been near the feuding pair had moved a fair distance away.

Though Luna would have normally caused anyone bodily hard for what De Tanga was doing she instead remained quiet. She was so confused and conflicted that she didn't know what to do. One part of her wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and bash De Tanga with some random blunt object for accusing her of such things. Another part of her wondered if what De Tanga was saying was the truth. Was she stringing him along this whole time? Would she have ever said yes even if De Tanga did everything right? Was she really scared to be in a relationship?

It didn't matter what was going on through Luna's head at that moment. Her lack of reaction reflected poorly on the situation fuelling De Tanga's anger and hurt. "Say something!" De Tanga demanded. "Threaten to kill me, tell me I'm wrong or call me an idiot, I don't care! Don't just sit there and do nothing!"

But that's exactly what Luna did; she just sat there doing nothing. If she couldn't even decide what the answer was for her how could she give one to him?

De Tanga wanted to scream. He wanted to break something. Hell he wanted to kill something. One thing was for sure being at the reception at that moment was a bad place for him to be. There was too much of a chance of him breaking something or hurting someone. With an angry disgusted grunt De Tanga teleported off leaving Luna sitting at the table alone.

Everyone at the reception watched Luna very carefully. Many were ready to flee in terror while others were contemplating trying to see if the monster slayer was alright. The few that did contemplate however didn't act on their thinking. Talking to Luna at that moment would likely get you killed. So they all watched, waiting for the monster slayer to do something.

But Luna did nothing. She just sat there quiet as a mouse with not a single tell on her face to divulge what she was thinking or feeling at that moment. Her face was blank.

...

Being a monster De Tanga could have gone anywhere at that moment. He did have a home once upon a time. A little house that stood where the forest met the demon sea. It had been a lovely home with a lovely view. Even when he was little De Tanga liked to look out at the water. But watching your foster parents get killed before your eyes tends to sour any happy memories of a place. Feeling so lost since that time De Tanga found himself gravitate to only other place he felt a sense of home at. And that place was Zelphilia.

He hadn't been trying to go there; he had been just teleporting aimlessly. De Tanga's mind was too consumed with anger and sadness that he couldn't think straight. And he even as he appeared at that spot overlooking Lake Zelphilia he had to wonder how and why he ended up there. It didn't matter though in the end as once he saw where he was he just crumpled down and cried.

Love was a feeling that moved mountains. It gave you greater strength than any spell or power could. It could also rip you into little bloody pieces.

It was a feeling that De Tanga hadn't known but had desperately wanted to. He had wanted to experience it, to feel the warm embrace that love gave you. But feeling the way he did at that moment he wished he never sought the beast in the first place.

Loosing Filia had been hard for him and De Tanga didn't even know if he loved her or not. And even though he didn't know if he loved Luna either this hurt a thousand times more. His whole body racked with gut wrenching sobs as he curled into a ball on the ground. "Why are you so stupid?" De Tanga screamed out loud. "Why would you think any woman would want to love a monster like you?"

De Tanga voice carried on the wind and skimmed across the cool water to places unknown. But it carried back no answer in response leaving the sobbing monster alone in the silence.

...

"I can't believe I let you take me off like that." Filia exclaimed in disgust as they teleported back to the church.

"You didn't let me, I stole you." Xellos corrected her proudly.

"Like a barbaric caveman."

"Cavemen don't scatter rose petals, light candles or play romantic music."

"When did you do all that anyway?"

"After we got back from the desert."

Filia glared at him. "You could have burned my house down!"

"Our house." Xellos corrected her again.

"My house!" Filia growled at him.

"We're married, what's mine it yours what's yours is mine. All mine." Xellos looked over Filia's body while licking is lips.

Filia's eyes flared with anger but her face flushed with embarrassment. "We're going into the church stop that!"

"Stop what? I'm always a sinner."

Filia rolled her eyes as she and Xellos went into the church. They discovered right away that it was empty. "They left."

"We did keep them waiting a looong time." Xellos went to nibble on Filia's ear.

Filia swatted him away in annoyance. "They must have gone to the reception."

"May as well make an entrance then." Xellos grabbed Filia pulling her close and teleported.

Instead of a normal way a monster teleported into a room Xellos decided to do it with some fanfare this time. With some modified fire and light spells he created fireworks that exploded around the pair as they appeared in the middle of the reception area.

All the guests clapped excitedly. Not so much because of the entrance but because that meant they could eat soon.

The members of the wedding party glared at the new couple and stormed over to them.

"Where have you two been?" Val demanded angrily.

"Well if you really want to know-" Xellos started to say before Filia quickly covered his mouth.

Filia's face was redder than a tomato as she nervously looked at her wedding party. "We're sorry that we made everyone wait!"

"But where were you?" Val grilled.

Xellos removed Filia's hand and with his trademark grin he responded, "It's a secret!"

Everyone groaned while fighting the urge to hit the dastardly groom.

"Where's De Tanga?" Filia wondered looking around the reception area. She had figured he would have been one of the first ones to give the couple a hard time about leaving. Looking around however Filia couldn't spot the monster priest anywhere.

"Well..." Val trailed off as they all looked to Luna who was still sitting at her table with a blank expression on her face.

Xellos frowned as he looked at the monster slayer. He had few encounters with the woman over the past few days so there was still so much he didn't know about her. Seeing her looking blank faced wasn't the alarming thing, it was the fear he sensed from her that was. Sure there were other emotions were mishmashed in that purple haired head of hers but the fear was the most intense. The others were doubt, self loathing, anger and disgust. There had been a fight and Xellos would peg that she was the main cause of it. Either that or Luna believed it was her fault.

"They had a fight?" Filia posed the question as she was thinking along the same lines as Xellos. She didn't have the ability to sense emotions as her husband did but she could see what others couldn't on Luna's face. "What were they fighting about?"

"We don't know." Val admitted. "They were talking pretty quietly and then De Tanga started yelling. Luna didn't really react and then he took off. We have no idea where De Tanga went."

Filia had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. "This is all my fault."

"What do you mean Boss?" Jilas wondered clearly confused by what she was saying.

"He came after when I took off. That must have really made things hard for her." Filia explained.

"But those two aren't dating...? I know she's his date but they aren't together." Val clarified.

"And that makes it ten times worse." Filia picked up the bottom of her dress and started to head right over to Luna.

"Filia what are you doing?" Lina squeaked in terror. "She'll kill you!"

"I have to fix this!" Filia called out.

Xellos nodded understanding what his wife meant. Filia was going to talk to Luna which meant he needed to talk to De Tanga. It was a good thing he was a monster, because if he couldn't teleport finding his best friend might have been an impossible task. And with that Xellos took off to go searching.


	45. Chapter 23O

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three O, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

The closer Filia got to Luna the more the dread set in. She was convinced what she was doing was the right thing but Lina's words were playing over and over in her head.

_She'll kill you!_

Was Filia scared of Luna? Yes, yes of course she was. The purple haired woman killed a monster with a simple butter knife at the church. And it was very likely Luna wasn't even trying that hard either. If Filia really was the cause of this fight then it was doubtful that Luna would want to see or talk to the golden dragon. Just gazing upon Filia might put Luna into a murderous rage.

However scared Filia was at the moment she was determined to make things right. At the very least if she was going to die she would be doing so wearing a beautiful dress leaving a well dressed corpse.

"Miss Luna?" Filia asked timidly as she went to sit down.

Luna didn't turn her head to look but her eyes moved to give the golden dragon a sideways glare. She didn't say anything not that she needed to. It was very clear that the monster slayer wasn't in a good mood.

"You don't need to say anything I think I know what happened and I'm sorry. I was feeling doubtful about marrying Xellos and I panicked. I took off when I shouldn't have and De Tanga came after me. It was selfish of me to do that and I know that must have made you feel like you didn't matter much to him. But believe me that isn't the case."

Luna's eyes averted back to where they were previously looking. She didn't trust herself to continue looking at Filia.

Filia frowned. She had been hoping to get some sort of a reaction from Luna but instead she was just being brushed off. Even though there was a lot worse that Luna could do to her, Filia wasn't liking being dismissed like that. "There was a time where I thought I was in love with De Tanga and I know he had feelings for me then too. But I know now that I don't love De Tanga and I know that he doesn't love me either. Do you know how I know this?"

This peaked Luna's curiosity but she wasn't about to give any sort of reaction to let it on. No she remained stone cold in her expression and mannerisms.

"Because when he followed me after I ran away I made a suggestion to him. It wasn't one that really serious about, it just slipped out. I was angry and not thinking rationally... but I suggested to De Tanga it wasn't Xellos I should marry and be with... that I really be with De Tanga..."

This got Luna to turn her head. It also turned her normal icy glare into one of fire and rage.

...

There were literately a billion places De Tanga could have taken off it. Being a monster meant that he could zip around the world to many different locations in a very small amount of time. So in a way Xellos was looking for a proverbial needle in a haystack. Of course being that Xellos was a monster as well he could have just searched the astral plane for De Tanga. With the bevy of emotions that De Tanga usually exuded it was never hard to locate Deep Sea's priest.

But Xellos wasn't one for doing the easiest thing so instead he decided to guess where De Tanga had gone and teleport there. The first two guesses didn't pan out for Xellos but the third one proved to be a success. De Tanga was in Zelphilia. Xellos sensed his best friend's emotions the moment he phased into town. It only took a second for Xellos to pin point exactly where De Tanga was in the city. Really Zelphilia should have been Xellos' first guess but he hadn't realized just how attached his friend had become to the place.

When Xellos found his best friend De Tanga was sitting on the ground in a ball crying. This didn't surprise Xellos as he had come to expect this sort of thing from De Tanga. A good friend would have sat down next to the crying man and offered comforting words to help alleviate some of the pain. Sadly though Xellos was De Tanga's best friend he was in no means a good friend to have.

Xellos sat himself down with a satisfied smug smile on his face. "I should have known you'd end up like this."

De Tanga slowly lifted his head up to look Xellos in the eye. He hadn't been expecting Xellos to do such a kind gesture as checking up on him. It was actually somewhat comforting. "I can't believe you came after me."

"Well of course. Filia wasn't letting me tell anyone what we did so I had to talk to find someone to talk to." Xellos rationalized while sipping another one of the mysterious cups of tea of his.

De Tanga's head slumped back down into his arms. "Oh really..."

"Yes! By Shabranigdo it was delicious! There she was writhing in sexual desire but feeling dirty and disgusted with herself. The taste was so intoxicating that it made feel like I was drunk. Oh and her skin, her body, her ruby lips..."

"Xellos!" De Tanga protested. "I don't want to hear this!"

"Oh by our dark lord I devoured every single inch of her and did she scream my name and moan like a beast! It was animalistic..." Xellos continued on ignoring De Tanga. "I wonder if it would be that much fun in our other forms. I'm sure I could do many things to her in my cone form that would get her dragon body roaring."

De Tanga wasn't crying anymore, he was too disgusted and annoyed to. Instead he looked up and glared at his supposed best friend in bewildered and angered disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Are you seriously kidding me? I'm sitting here sad and completely crushed and you feel like this is a good time to tell me about your sexual conquests?"

"If you had been there then you would know why I have to tell someone." Xellos wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm upset Xellos! Because you're a stupid jerk that made your wife to be so unsure that she had take off in the middle of the wedding. And because I had to run after her my last chance for happiness has decided to drop me like a rock! But then I don't expect you to understand since you got the damned girl the end ANYWAY! Heaven forbid things ever go wrong for you!" De Tanga screamed at Xellos with his anger at full force. "I could have had her Xellos. I could have had Filia, but no I put your needs first. I put your happiness first. And twice now it's bitten me in the ASS! When do I get happiness? When do my needs and feelings get put first? WHY AM I ALWAYS LAST?"

"Because you're too human." Xellos retorted with crossed arms. "This is exactly why you don't get any respect from other monsters. Being self sacrificing is a weak human trait that you shouldn't even have. You're last because you're weak."

"..." De Tanga was speechless. He knew Xellos was right... well somewhat right that is. If you treated yourself like you were lowly and not worth the love and attention then who is going to love you in return? In the end he was his own worst enemy sabotaging his life.

"If you really want her you should just take her. Like I took Filia. And gods did I take her. And I'd take her over and over again." Xellos sentence and mind took a dive for the gutter as he was back to thinking of smutty things. "I think I shall have her in the church next."

De Tanga ignored his friend's vulgar comments and let out a big sigh. "She was toying with me Xellos. Just waiting for me to screw up. She was never going to date me..."

"Did she say it was over? Because from what I heard you were the one that did the yelling and she sat there doing nothing." Xellos took another sip of his tea.

"Well...she-she didn't s-say it wasn't..." De Tanga defended while stuttering.

"So you jumped to conclusions again?" Xellos shook his head in mock disgust. "Typical De Tanga..."

...

Filia knew she was in danger at that moment. She felt all the little hairs of the back of her neck stand up on end as she shrunk under the fiery glare of Luna Inverse. Filia needed to explain and fast. "I only suggested it because I felt like I hadn't been given a choice. That the universe decided for me that I was to be with Xellos and no one else. It could have been anyone at that moment as long as it wasn't Xellos. But it meant nothing and De Tanga knew it. He doesn't love me, he never did. I saw that in his eyes and I know he saw the same thing in mine. Being with De Tanga was an attractive idea, a nice alternative to being stuck with the hellion that is Xellos. But in the end of the day I love that insufferable jerk (though I still don't know why) and De Tanga loves someone else."

Luna's death ray abated a bit but she still continued to glare at Filia.

"I'm pretty sure you know who De Tanga is in love with."

Luna couldn't help it anymore, she had to say something. "He told you?"

Filia shook her head. "He doesn't need to. Just like you don't need to tell me just who you're in love with."

Luna rolled her eyes while scoffing. "I think having rampant sex with that monster groom of yours has limited your oxygen flow to your brain."

Filia's eyes were wide with embarrassment and her cheeks were red to match. "Ah... well... promise me that when my idiot husband brings back your idiot date that you not kill him?"

"I make no promises. If I feel like killing something I will." Luna threatened her.

Filia laughed nervously. "Well please try and work things out with De Tanga. I would like for you two both to be happy and not get hurt."

"He yelled at me. The chances of his not feeling pain is very very slim." Luna retorted with a strange sinister smile on her face.

Since Filia was used to these sort of smiles it didn't alarm her as much as it should have. "Fine. Just don't get blood on anything."

"Monsters don't bleed." Luna reminded her.

"Then don't destroy anything."

Luna's evil smile just broadened.

...

"I can't go back there." De Tanga insisted to Xellos. "If I do then Luna is probably going to kill me. I screamed at her like a lunatic."

"It might be interesting to watch her kill something else. I quite enjoyed that part of the wedding." Xellos clapped in excitement.

"You're not helping." De Tanga clarified.

"I don't know why you would want to be with a woman that scares you so much. Do you get off on fear?"

"You do realize you're recycling the same argument from before?"

"Supposedly recycling is good for the environment."

De Tanga rolled his eyes. "You're still not helping."

"I didn't come here to help. I came to tell you just how much I enjoyed bedding the golden dragon." Xellos clarified for De Tanga once more.

"She's your wife not a piece of meat."

"She's definitely a sweet piece of something."

"XELLOS SHUT UP!" De Tanga growled. He knew that Xellos was only doing this anger him and that yelling would be just giving Xellos what he wanted. But De Tanga couldn't help himself; he was getting so damned agitated! "Fine let's go. Getting killed by Luna is far more merciful than listening to you list the lewd details of your post wedding sex."

When Xellos and De Tanga teleported back to the wedding reception they were met with many stares. The fear emanating from the group was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. De Tanga was put on edge by the ominous feeling but Xellos gladly gobbled it up. He was starving after all.

Luna looked to where everyone was staring. When her eyes fell on De Tanga's she rose from her chair and started walking towards him.

Anyone that possibly was in Luna's path quickly ran out of the way. Least not piss off the woman off more.

De Tanga tried to swallow that imaginary lump in his throat as he waited for his doom. He had no idea what Luna was going to do to him, but he was sure it wasn't going to be pretty.

Luna didn't say anything as she approached De Tanga. And she didn't need to; the evil smile on her face spoke volumes.

De Tanga closed his eyes in fear, waiting for what was to come. Instead of a deathly blow De Tanga found himself being dragged off somewhere. At first this fact delighted De Tanga; Luna wanted to talk to him alone. But then another thought set in, maybe she just didn't want any witnesses.

Luna dragged De Tanga into the woods away from the wedding reception. She still didn't say anything to him she instead shoved him against a tree.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you!" De Tanga apologized in a panic. "And I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions and took off!"

Luna frowned. She had hoped he would be a bit bull headed. She wanted to make him suffer and force the apology out of him. She wanted to make him beg for mercy. Having him so apologetic took the fun out of things. How could she pretend to be mad at him if he already felt genuinely terrible about it? It actually made Luna feel bad since was the one that over reacted. How annoying... "You're lucky they know you're with me. If you turned up dead they'd know it was me."

Anyone hearing this would not have taken this half threat statement as an apology but De Tanga knew better. For Luna this was in some warped way her way of saying sorry. "You're not going to kill me?" His voice was squeaky as he posed his question.

"I'm still mad you yelled at me but I'm not mad about the golden dragon."

This omission confused De Tanga. "You're not? Why?"

"Filia's a brave woman. She told me she propositioned you."

"Oh." Now De Tanga understood. "She suggested I should marry her instead of Xellos marrying her."

"You turned her down."

"Three months ago if she asked me I would have said yes in a heartbeat. Now there's no way I could."

"Because she loves Xellos." Luna added quickly.

"That and..." De Tanga trailed off.

"You don't love her!" Luna quickly finished off De Tanga's sentence. She was deathly afraid of what he could say. Like the reason Filia had suggested to Luna. Luna didn't want to hear it. If she did... no she wouldn't hear it because De Tanga wouldn't say that. Would he?

"Yeah. It's not Filia that I love..." Inside De Tanga's skull his brain was screaming at him to add on 'I love you Luna' to that sentence. He was in love with her, he was sure of that, but he couldn't say it. Hell he didn't let himself even think about it until Filia asked him to marry her. His brain finally got the message that his heart had been screaming all along. It didn't matter that every fibre of his being wanted to declare his undying love to her. He just couldn't say it.

Luna didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she had to gasp for air. Gods was she terrified of what De Tanga was going to say next. But instead of that fearful of omission De Tanga had just trailed off again. Taking this opportunity Luna decided to change the subject. "Well I have a bit of a problem here... They are going to expect me to cause you harm in some way... So if you come back perfectly fine everyone will wonder."

"I could act injured." De Tanga suggested in a weak small voice.

"No if my reputation is to remain intact I will have to hurt you."

"Is your reputation more important than my well being?" De Tanga protested in disgust.

"Of course." Luna stated matter-of-factly.

Yes he did love this woman.


	46. Chapter 23P

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three P, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

Though Filia and Xellos were back at the reception signalling that things could start they hadn't. That was due to the fact that Luna had dragged De Tanga off somewhere. How could they start the party when Luna was potentially killing De Tanga in the woods? Murder was a mood killer after all.

"I hope things are okay." Filia mumbled to herself in worry.

"I'm sure everything is fine. And I'm sure they would love for us to start without them." Lina said through a very strained smile. She was starving and ready to eat the centerpieces on the tables. If she didn't get something to eat soon things were going to get ugly.

"Come now Miss Lina how can I start things off without my best man present to toast me?" Xellos mused in delight.

"Yeah I wouldn't feel right if we did." Filia agreed.

Lina and many others shuddered at this act. It may have been strange for Filia and Xellos to get married but for her to agree with him too? Hell truly had frozen over.

"Make way!" A dark blue haired woman dressed in a blue robe exclaimed carrying an impossible amount of large covered platters. Her assistant trailed behind her carrying almost as much as she was and cursing the whole way.

Zellas woke up at this moment looking at this spectacle in amusement. "Now dear sister what are you doing?"

Deep Sea Dolphin looked over to Greater Beast Zellas giggling in utter delight. "I've brought a feast for the happy couple!"

Zellas narrowed her still drunken eyes. "Is it poisoned?"

"If it was I would make her eat it." Deep Sea's furry green assistant grumbled as he struggled with the platters.

"Deep Sea..." Filia walked over to the monster lord while laughing nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"I've made a feast for your reception!" Deep Sea opened one of the lids to show Filia.

Filia cringed as she afraid she was going to see a lesser dragon under that lid. However when she peered at the platter in question she found what looked like to be parts of a large shellfish type creature. From the smell and the look of it Filia recognized just what Deep Sea had cooked for everyone. It was the same type of creature Deep Sea had been cooking the day she kidnapped Filia. And just like when Deep Sea prepared this creature before it smelled delicious. "That's very thoughtful of you..." Filia smiled nervously.

"Don't thank her!" Val exclaimed. "She's an evil-"

Xellos struck Val in the gut to prevent him from saying anything further. "I think it would be best not to tempt the woman." He said in a low voice that only Val could hear.

Val frowned from the blow and the logic behind Xellos' suggestion. He didn't like taking orders from Xellos but he had to admit the fruitcake had a point.

"Where is my son and future daughter-in-law?" Deep Sea wondered looking around after she placed the dishes down.

"Future daughter-in-law?" Lina squeaked in both fear and confusion. De Tanga had insisted that he and Luna weren't dating that he just worked for her. But if what Deep Sea was saying was true then De Tanga might actually end up being her brother-in-law. The fact that her older sister could be marrying a monster wasn't what alarmed Lina. No it was the fact that her sister would have a monster lord for a 'mother-in-law', and a crazy one to boot.

"Oh you are the younger one!" Deep Sea commented as her attention was now focused on Lina. "Such pretty hair, like a mane of fire!" She giggled as she went to pet Lina on the head. "And so soft too! I will make you my favourite too!"

Zellas raised an eyebrow at her kin. "Sister this is Lina Inverse. She's the one that casted the Giga Slave and killed a piece of our Master Shabranigdo."

"Such horrible power!" Deep Sea gasped. "How lovely!" She clapped her hands in delight. "My dear De Tanga has chosen such a wonderful bloodline to merge with. The children will be fearsome!"

"My Lady Deep Sea, your 'son' De Tanga was having a spat with the eldest Inverse." Xellos explained. "If he doesn't patch things up then you will get no 'grandchildren' from her."

Deep Sea tisked and rolled her eyes. "Lovers must have spats. Otherwise they wouldn't be called 'lover's spats'." She concluded very sagely.

"They're lovers?" Again Lina was having trouble wrapping her brain around things. Especially since De Tanga had insisted he wasn't even dating Luna! Visions of little scary monster children with freakish power filled Lina brain and fear filled her gut.

"Miss Lina I don't she was meaning that literately." Amelia tried to explain to her red headed friend. The last thing they needed was Lina going into another round of hysterics.

"We most certainly are not having sex!" Luna almost screamed as she stormed over to where Deep Sea was.

De Tanga followed closely behind in obvious pain. However it was unclear as to what part of his body had been injured. Or even if it was his body that had been hurt. Maybe it was his pride perhaps? Whatever Luna made him endure it was clear that De Tanga wasn't going to tell anyone.

"Well you will have to soon if I'm to get my grandchildren." Deep Sea concluded after some consideration.

Luna's eyes flared up with rage. "WHAT? YOU CRAZY WACKO!"

De Tanga was quick to grab Luna to hold her back before she stormed over to Deep Sea. "Luna calm down."

"I'm going to kill her!" Luna announced.

"She's not being serious." De Tanga insisted but the truth of the matter was that he wasn't even sure. Deep Sea wasn't like normal people after all.

"I don't care! I'm so sick of everyone deciding when I'm supposed to have kids! It's my uterus, MY DECISION!" Luna screamed not even caring one bit how embarrassing that sounded.

Though Luna wasn't embarrassed De Tanga sure was. His face was bright red as he felt everyone's eyes on him. "Ahem... Master may I talk to you for alone for a moment?"

Deep Sea smiled at her priest and followed where he motioned her to go.

De Tanga led his master far enough away from the reception to be out of earshot. "Master what are you doing?"

"I made a feast! I told you I would."

"I and I had told you that I was sure you weren't invited." He reminded her.

"Oh pish posh who would say no to free food?"

She did have him there. But even free food wouldn't make up for all the things she had done. But De Tanga decided to let that slide. "Okay... So what's this business with 'grandchildren'?"

"Well you mean to mate with the knight of Cepheid." Deep Sea stated observantly.

"I do not!"

"If you don't intent to mate with her then why court her?"

"I am not courting her!" De Tanga retorted defensively. Even he knew that was a lie but he wasn't about to admit that to her. The idea of pursuing Luna as only a means to bed her was a sickening one to De Tanga. He wanted love and companionship. Anything that potentially could go on in the bedroom was a bonus.

"But you do love her." Deep Sea argued.

"I've never said that!" De Tanga huffed in embarrassment.

Deep Sea let out a hearty laugh at her minion's discomfort. "Oh you do, you most certainly do."

"It doesn't matter if I do or not you can't decide for people!"

"I can't?" Deep Sea wondered in genuine confusion. "Since when?"

"Since always!"

"But you still will end up marrying the woman." Deep Sea concluded.

"Not if you keep making grand announcements. She'll kill me instead. And kill you too as well."

That notion made Deep Sea laugh. A mortal killing her? Ha. "Very well Mommy won't embarrass you anymore." Deep Sea promised De Tanga while pinching his cheeks.

De Tanga unconsciously shuddered from the comment and the action of his master. 'When did she start all this 'Mommy' business?'

"Come along dear. Let's not keep everyone waiting." Deep Sea beaconed De Tanga to follow her in a sing song voice.

Once again De Tanga shuddered.

...

The wedding reception had finally began with appetizers being served and wine poured. As in many wedding customs the pouring of wine meant it was time for toasts.

Since De Tanga had known that he would be Xellos' best man beforehand he already had a speech ready to toast the couple. Val on the other hand didn't know till almost the last minute that he would be his own mother's 'man of honour'. So for him to have prepared a speech was unrealistic. And truthfully Val didn't have one ready but that didn't stop him from getting up in front of everyone to toast the couple.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Val called out to the crowd while tapping his glass with a knife. "I'm sure that everyone here knows who I am, but those who might not my name is Val, and Filia is my adoptive mother. She adopted me after I was reborn. When she met me I was trying to destroy the world. Any other woman wouldn't have wanted to raise a monster like me but she did. Because that's the kind of woman Filia Ul Copt is. She is caring and sees the best in people even if there isn't anything good about them. Xellos is a prime example of that."

This comment got a chuckle out of the audience.

"Xellos," Val looked to his new step father, "Just because you're married to my mother doesn't mean I'm going to like you or respect you. I'm sure everyone will tell me to give you a chance because there is something good in you. Because why else would Mom marry you? I think you tricked her or put some sort of a spell on her. But you did marry my mother. So for that I will tolerate you. I'm still not going to call you Dad but I will accept that Mom loves you even if none of us know why. But if you ever hurt her it won't be just me you will answer to." Val finished his speech off with a menacing glare. "Mom I love you and in the end all I want is for you to be happy. And if it's with this jerk then so be it."

Filia laughed and shook her head. She wasn't surprised that Val would threaten Xellos in his speech. Val was her little boy after all and she loved him just as much as he loved her. "I love you too sweetie." Filia stood up and gave Val a hug and kissed on the cheek.

De Tanga stood up next with his glass in hand ready to give his toast. "Hi, my name is De Tanga and I've known Xellos for a very long time. The two of us have been best friends almost right from the start and for a monster that's a rare thing. And I can assure you there is probably no one who knows Xellos better that I do. Filia on the other hand I haven't known for that long. But I knew the moment I met her that she was the one for Xellos. Because you see Xellos is a different man from the one I knew years ago. He changed and it's all because of Filia. I never thought in my life I would see the day that my dear friend would fall in love. And though many would doubt his sincerity I know Xellos truly loves Filia. He would die for her in a heartbeat or make her crazy enough to kill him. In my mind he'll be with her till the day he dies." De Tanga held his glass up and motioned for everyone else to do the same. "To Xellos and Filia, may your life together be full with love, spice and excitement. Cheers!"

Everyone clanged their glasses and drank.

This was the start of many toasts, drinks and food as everyone relaxed and enjoyed themselves. A live band played soft calming music while everyone dined which was just an appetizer to the music to come.

With a microphone in hand the lead musician of the band called everyone's attention. "Now I'm pleased to announce Xellos and Filia's first dance as husband and wife!"

Everyone cheered as Xellos and Filia made their way to the dance floor. The song that the band played for the couple was a hauntingly beautiful one and it wasn't even one the couple had agreed on. Filia had told the band a month ago that they wanted 'Moonlit Waltz' as the first dance. Xellos told them a day later that is was actually 'Dreamy Mornings'. The band was aware of Xellos and Filia's wedding planning feuds so they opted for a completely different song. It was 'Nightingale's Lullaby' and the band thought this would be a much better choice. As it turned out they were right. Filia and Xellos ended up being pleased with the song. That or the two were too drunk to care. Either way the two danced gliding across the dance floor.

With the first dance done it was now time for everyone else to join on the dance floor. Many couples started to dance while other single men shyly asked single women to dance. It didn't take long for the dance floor to fill leaving only a few wallflowers.

De Tanga watched the crowd of dancers from his table. He desperately wanted to ask Luna to dance but he just couldn't get up the nerve. With the way things were he wasn't sure if he should. He still felt like he was on thin ice with Luna.

Luna didn't help matters as soon as the dance music started up she was up and over by the buffet table. She stayed close to the food and far from her date. It wasn't as if Luna was intentionally trying to avoid De Tanga. She was an Inverse after all so it was natural thing for her to gravitate towards food. Even with that being the case deep down there was a part of Luna that was afraid to dance with De Tanga.

If the music was upbeat with a quick tempo dancing was just a fun time. You could hang loose and just go with the rhythm. But when the music was slow (like it was at the reception) it was a whole different affair. It was more intimate and romantic. The guy held his girl close as they slowly swayed to the music.

Luna was afraid to let herself get that close to De Tanga. He had joked many times that he was irresistible which Luna had scoffed at in return. But the truth was De Tanga was a charming man. Luna knew that if she let him hold her she just might melt in his arms. And for a woman of her reputation there was no way she could let herself be swooned like that. No she had been cold, smart and indifferent. Even still she found herself searching the crowd for his face...

De Tanga's eyes travelled from one face to another until they found hers. Even though there were more than a couple dozen people between them, in that moment Luna and De Tanga only saw each other. Nothing else mattered.


	47. Chapter 23Q

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three Q, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

De Tanga let out a heavy sigh as he gathered up his nerves and stood up. His intentions were to march over to Luna and ask her to dance. However the moment he stood it seemed to spook Luna as she moved further away from him. There was a good chance that if De Tanga walked over to her Luna was going to bolt.

...

Filia's eyes kept darting back and forth as she watched De Tanga and Luna. Anyone at the reception could tell that the monster slayer and Deep Sea's priest wanted to dance with each other. You could almost see the magnetic force struggling to pull them together. But for whatever reason both of them were fighting the force.

Xellos was somewhat aware of what his wife was so focused on but not enough for him to care. The negative emotions both Luna and De Tanga were emanating were a delight to his taste buds so he wasn't about to do anything to change that. So instead Xellos was focusing on his new bride and how low down her back he could get his hand before she would protest.

"Xellos we have to do something about De Tanga and Miss- Hey! Get your hand off my butt!" Filia shrieked in embarrassment.

"What's yours is mine." Xellos retorted innocently.

Filia glared at him and forcibly moved his hand back onto her back. "We have to do something about Miss Luna and De Tanga. The two of them are on opposite sides of the dance floor. They should be dancing with each other."

"But I'm eating!" Xellos whined.

"I don't care, you can eat later."

"How about I nibble on your neck?" Xellos growled while playfully kissing the side of Filia's face traveling downwards.

"Stop that!" Filia smacked him on the head. "Quite goofing around and do what I say!"

"I just love a strong domineering woman." Xellos wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I bet you'll be the boss when it comes to our honeymoon bedtime activities."

"Go over there and ask Miss Luna to dance."

"How exactly would that help?"

"Because I'm going to ask De Tanga to dance. After we're dancing for a bit we'll switch partners forcing them to dance with each other." Filia explained.

Xellos sighed heavily. There were many more things in life that Xellos wanted to do at that moment besides dancing with Luna Inverse. Especially since the woman in question was more than capable in causing him harm.

...

Luna had her back turned away from De Tanga's direction as she munched on the various things on the buffet table. Even though she couldn't see the person approaching her from behind she was aware of him. Being that the person was a monster it wasn't hard for Luna to sense him. Butterflies fluttered around her stomach as she waited for him. She was sure of who it was and she was nervous as to what she was going to do. Half of her gut told her to run while the other half told her to leap into his arms. Either way Luna felt conflicted.

"Miss Luna?" A polite voice asked Luna from behind while gently tapping her on the shoulder.

Luna turned around and was disappointed to see it was the wrong monster standing behind her. Instead of De Tanga standing in front of her, it was Xellos. "What do you want?"

"To dance." Xellos offered his hand in a grandiose manner.

Luna looked at the offered appendage as though it was a diseased lump of flesh. "Why?"

"My wife is a bossy woman." Xellos flashed her a devious smile.

Luna pressed her lips together tightly as she pondered Xellos request. She had feeling if she said no she would still end up being dragged onto the dance floor at some point. "Is your wife pimping you out to the wallflowers to make sure they have a good time?"

"Everyone always has a good time with me." Xellos' devious smile broadened. "Just ask my wife. She sure was 'satisfied' earlier."

Luna was going to comment on Xellos disgusting comment but a rogue flying mace hit Xellos square on the head.

Xellos only chuckled as he gingerly rubbed the now sore spot on his head. "Oh dear it seems I may have said a little too much." He laughed sheepishly.

Luna shook her head and let out a tired sigh. "Fine if the bride insists that I dance at least one dance then I guess I'd better. But if you try and grab me like you grabbed her you're losing your hand among other things." She threatened him.

"Do you really think I would try such a thing while my wife is watching?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm..." Xellos tapped his chin in thought. "You know you're probably right."

...

While Xellos was attempting to corral Luna to the dance Filia made her way over to where De Tanga was. "Are you going to stay over here the whole evening?" Filia questioned Deep Sea's priest with a playful smile gracing her lips.

De Tanga whom had gone back to sitting starred up at Filia with a sheepish expression. "I was over at the buffet earlier."

"C'mon we're going to dance." Filia held out her hand demanding for him to take it.

"Um... I don't know if that's a good idea..." De Tanga mumbled while frowning.

"Why not? I'm the bride I should be allowed to dance with who I want."

"Well it's just... With the way things are with Luna... if I dance with you she might... get mad."

Filia looked behind her and smiled. "She's dancing with my husband so I don't think she's going to complain."

De Tanga looked to where Filia was looking and sure enough it was true; Luna was dancing with Xellos. And she didn't look to happy about it. "Why is she dancing with him?"

"It doesn't matter, now c'mon let's get dancing!" Filia practically dragged De Tanga to his feet and to the dance floor.

...

Luna watched as Filia dragged De Tanga into dancing with her. A small part of Luna twinged with jealousy as she watched the two. She would rather be the one dancing with De Tanga instead of being stuck with Xellos. Luna could have gotten mad at De Tanga in light of recent events but she had a feeling he was roped into dancing much like she was. 'What are those two planning?'

"So are you stringing him along?" Xellos asked Luna breaking the monster slayer from her thoughts.

"Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about. That pathetic sap that is currently dancing with my Filia. Are you stringing De Tanga along?"

Luna frowned and refrained from answering the question. The answer of course was no but her pride decided for her that she couldn't admit the truth. Doing so would just showcase that Luna wasn't the strong 'I don't need anyone' person everyone thought she was. It would make it appear that Luna was just another romantic loon chasing the dream of a lasting relationship.

"The proper thing for me to do as a De Tanga's best friend would be for me to warn you not hurt his feelings by making him think he has a chance when he doesn't. But personally I find the situation quite amusing."

Luna snapped her head back to look at Xellos. Her questioning eyes narrowed at him demanding an answer without actually saying anything.

"If you were to bring his hopes up high and crush him like an ant it would destroy him. I can only imagine the buffet of emotions he will be. There's nothing like the emotions of a man whose heart was crushed by the woman he loves."

Luna flinched at that comment.

Xellos noticed the reaction from Luna and it made him smile. "If I didn't know you were a human I'd swear you were a monster. You're so good at inspiring fear and manipulating people... why you have De Tanga wrapped around your little finger. Though I am curious as to how you managed to get De Tanga to fall in love with you."

Luna had to speak up now. "What makes you think he's in love with me?"

Xellos let out a low chuckle. "I'm a monster of course I can sense it. His feelings of love are very strong. Why you should have seen him earlier. I was the one that had to bring him back after that little fight the two of you had. There De Tanga was, the strong, stable and analytical priest of Deep Sea Dolphin crying on the floor like a little baby. You didn't even need to say a thing and you had him reduced to a sobbing mess. Really you are a wicked woman." Xellos beamed with admiration.

Luna felt the pangs of guilt as she found herself looking over to De Tanga once more. Though her 'date' was dancing with the bride he clearly didn't seem to be enjoying himself.

...

De Tanga tried not look at Luna while he danced with Filia. He was afraid that if he caught her eye she would get furious with him and that would be the end of everything.

"Why aren't you dancing with her?" Filia questioned De Tanga in an attempt to snap him out of his deep thinking.

"Who?"

Filia rolled her eyes. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

De Tanga donned a sheepish smile. "Luna..."

"Why aren't you dancing with her?" Filia repeated her question.

"I want to..." De Tanga let his sentence trail off.

"But you aren't because...?" Filia prompted him.

"Every step I make to get closer to her the further away she goes. She doesn't want to dance with me..." De Tanga mumbled in defeat.

"Maybe she's afraid to." Filia surmised.

De Tanga raised an eyebrow at the crazy notion. "Why would she be afraid?"

"She's Luna Inverse, the knight of Cepheid and known as a monster slayer throughout the demon peninsula. That's a big reputation to live up to. And something tells me that if she truly let herself go and give into her feelings it will not only make her appear weak it will make her feel it as well."

"What feelings?" De Tanga had to ask.

"Come now De Tanga, you're a monster. Surly you can sense what emotions are swirling around in her head."

De Tanga frowned. "I don't like to pry into people's hearts."

"Or are you afraid to? Perhaps it's your own feelings that are making things hard for you. Because you care so much for her it's hard for you to sense or see that she's hopelessly in love with you."

De Tanga was stunned at this suggestion. Sure he had it pointed out at him from time to time that he was in love with Luna. And though he'd never really said it out loud he was sure he was in love with her. That's why he was afraid to lose her. But Luna being in love with him...? It wasn't a thought he'd entertained. "No... she couldn't love me..."

Filia raised an eyebrow at De Tanga's denial. "And why is that? She may be possibly the strongest woman in the word but she is still a woman after all. A woman's heart can be a fickle thing but that doesn't mean it won't love another just because it belongs to a stubborn woman."

"That's not what I mean... She couldn't love _me_... I'm not... worth that much..."

"So you're saying that Luna couldn't love you for the same reason that any woman couldn't? That you're some sort of a worthless fool that doesn't deserve love?" Filia questioned him with the sarcasm and disbelief dripping from each word.

"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying."

Filia shook her head. "De Tanga what the hell would make you think you're not worth love?"

"Because I'm a failure. I'm supposed to be a strong, evil monster that causes mayhem. But I don't like hurting people. I don't create chaos wherever I go. I'm hated by my own kind and almost every race I encounter. I'm a weak man who can't even gather up the courage to ask my own date to dance with me. Luna is a strong, powerful woman... Why would she want to love a weak pathetic coward like me?"

Filia's face softened as she looked at De Tanga. "No one chooses who they love. Their hearts chose for them. But don't sell yourself short De Tanga. You're not a coward, a weakling or pathetic. You're just considerate of other people. And I'm sure that is one of the many reasons why she loves you."

De Tanga frowned once more. "And what makes you so sure that she does love me? Did she say she did?"

Filia shook her head. "She didn't need to. I am a woman too after all. I can sense it."

"So you mean it's like... woman's intuition?" De Tanga prompted her.

"Exactly."

"So you are at best guessing she does on a gut reaction." De Tanga concluded with a sad sigh.

Filia almost growled in frustration. "It's not a guess! She really does love you!"

"I'll believe it when I hear it from her mouth." De Tanga declared. 'But she won't say it.' He mentally added while looking to the object of his affection. Luna appeared to be annoyed with Xellos, but then who wouldn't be it was Xellos after all. It seemed clear to De Tanga that the monster slayer didn't want to be dancing with the groom.

...

At one of the tables at the edge of the dance floor Deep Sea Dolphin and Greater Beast Zellas sat drinking as they watched the show.

"Dinner and a show... how delightful." Zellas murmured in a drunken slur.

"The dance of courtship is always a complicated one." Deep Sea observed.

"Care to wager on what will happen sister?"

Deep Sea let out a bubbling giggle as she sipped on some more wine. "I'd wouldn't bet against my son and if you did I'd be very cross my dear sister."

Zellas had to laugh in reply. "Of course not! How about we wager who will have children first?"

"A delightful idea!"

With that decided Deep Sea Dolphin and Greater Beast Zellas tried to clang their glasses in agreement but instead missed. Clearly the two monster lords had had too much to drink already.

...

As the bride danced with the best man and the groom danced with his best man's date the couple guided their dance partners closer to the center of the dance floor.


	48. Chapter 23R

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three R, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

As Luna danced with Xellos and De Tanga with Filia neither were aware they were being led to each other. It wasn't till both pairs were almost dancing right next to each other the monster the monster slayer realized something was up.

Filia shot a quick look at Xellos and he nodded in return. At the very same moment both Filia and Xellos yelled "Partner switch!" They threw their current dance partners towards each other and danced off together.

Luna ended up crashing right into De Tanga and De Tanga had instinctively wrapped his arms around her. The feel of having De Tanga's arms around her was both surprising and comforting. It was like as if she was meant to be there with him all along. For that one blissful moment nothing in the world mattered...

Until Luna realized she was being held in the middle of the dance floor. Quickly she got out of his arms and tried to glare at him. But that was hard considering she was flustered and desperately wanting to jump back into his arms.

De Tanga too felt that strong connection. Gods did he not want to let her go. Not that it matter as Luna had torn herself away from him. All he could do was put on a small hopeful smile and offer out his timid hand to her. He didn't voice his request as the gesture said it all.

Luna could only stare at De Tanga as the hand he offered to her. How many times had she shunned that hand of his when all he wanted to do was hold hers. It's not that she didn't want him to hold her hand it was because she wanted him to too much. Luna was so afraid to let herself give into her desires that if she did even a little she would lose all control. Sure she had held him that one time but she was the one who was calling the shots. But this was different; he wanted to dance with her. It was much more than just holding hands. Dancing was intimate and given the venue this act would be a very public one.

De Tanga waited patiently as stood there with his hand out. He hadn't expected her to respond right away. Luna could be very impulsive but when it came to things like this the monster slayer was a real thinker.

Luna didn't know if she should take his hand or walk away. There they were right in the middle of the dance floor and they were only ones not dancing. The sensible side of Luna told her to run but there was a good portion of her that wanted to do more than just dance with the monster priest. The social pressure of the other dancers staring ended up deciding things for Luna for she timidly put her hand in De Tanga's.

The moment Luna's fingers touched his De Tanga felt bolts of electricity spark between them. It almost made him recoil in shock and snap his hand away but instead he remained still. Feeling Luna's hand in his he wanted to pull her flesh up against him and wrap his other arm around her. Though his baser urges were flared De Tanga refrained and hesitantly put his other hand timidly on Luna's back.

Luna was equally timid as she put her hand on his shoulder. Something about being so close but not complete was strange for her. Luna didn't know if she wanted to pull away or get closer.

Even as they stood there clearly ready to dance Luna and De Tanga still weren't dancing. This was getting some snickers from the other dancers on the dance floor.

Luna glared at them and took the lead almost jerking De Tanga into moving to the music.

De Tanga was surprised at Luna's sudden movements. He was the guy after all shouldn't he be leading? Despite that De Tanga didn't dwell on that too much. He was dancing with Luna and that's all that mattered.

The longer the two danced the more they relaxed and fit in with the other dancers rather than looking like two robots imitating human behaviour. The two were even dancing in a closer embrace.

"Whose idea do you think it was?" De Tanga asked Luna once he felt comfortable that she wasn't going to leave.

"You mean to trick us into dancing? I'd wager it was your idiot friend." Luna replied coldly trying to sound indifferent to De Tanga. But given how close they were dancing and how relaxed they seemed in each other's presence Luna wasn't getting the intended effect.

"I doubt that. He'd love nothing more than to have me wallow in self pity in the corner. He loves it when I'm miserable especially if he's the cause. And getting you to dance with me would be a piss poor way of doing that." De Tanga explained.

"So you wanted to dance with me?" Luna wondered with amusement.

"What do you think?" De Tanga posed the question while boldly taking the lead and dramatically dipping Luna.

Luna's eyes were wide with shock (not that you could have seen them) as she made De Tanga right herself. "Do that again and I'll beat you to a pulp!" She threatened him but made no effort to distance herself from him.

De Tanga grinned evilly. "Oh no dipping? How about this?" He pulled her as close as he could and he spun her around once.

Luna scowled at him but still she remained in his embrace.

De Tanga satisfied with himself continued with leading as he danced the two of them around the dance floor.

"So why didn't you ask me?" Luna asked after thinking things over for a little bit.

"Hmmm?" De Tanga looked to her questioningly not quite sure what she was asking.

"To dance." Luna clarified.

"You bolted to the buffet table the moment the music started." De Tanga pointed out.

"I was hungry." Luna exclaimed defensively. "You still could have gone and asked me instead of cowardly sitting at the table."

"You looked like you were going to take off it I went anywhere near you."

"I wouldn't have ran." Luna lied.

De Tanga knew if he looked in those purple eyes of hers he would see she wasn't being honest. But he wasn't about to call her on it. He was dancing with her like he wanted and he didn't want to give her any reason to run. Luna was in his arms and he wasn't about to let her go.

One song ended and bled into another but still Luna and De Tanga danced. Part of the reason was that the songs were all a similar tempo and feel and it just seemed natural to continue. But the real reason was that neither person wanted to stop. Stopping meant letting go and that was something they were really against doing.

Luna and De Tanga might have danced the whole night through had Xellos not given the pair a reason to pause.

Xellos wasn't a sentimental man he was an evil one. He relished in this fact. And even though one could call the gesture he did symbolic Xellos wasn't being sentimental with his song request to the band.

Suddenly the slow tempo mellow music halted getting everyone to stop dancing mid step. The music started up again but with a much spicier feel.

"Of course." De Tanga mumbled after hearing the first few notes.

"What is it?" Luna wondered not quite sure of what to make of the music. It was a faster tempo but something about it seemed... seductive.

"On a date Xellos tried to embarrass Filia by signing them both up for a tango contest." De Tanga explained as the two watched Xellos drag a reluctant Filia to the dance floor. Though De Tanga and Luna couldn't hear the protests Filia was making the hand gestures to her dress implied she was wasn't quite dressed for such a dance.

"Is he trying to re-create one of their first dates?"

De Tanga chuckled. "No that would be too romantic for him. Xellos is trying to embarrass her... or seduce her. Either way he's going to try and frustrate her."

"I guess we should take a break." Luna started to break away from De Tanga but her hand was still in his and he snapped her back toward him.

"Did you really think I'd let you get away so easily?" He purred at her.

Luna smirked at De Tanga's kitten like display. "I figured you'd like my act of charity. Because you're bound to make a fool out of yourself. The tango is far beyond your dancing repertoire."

"Oh is it?" De Tanga raised one devilish eyebrow before leading Luna forward in the beginnings of a very intense tango.

The tango wasn't a dance to be undertaken by amateurs so many couples had already vacated the dance floor when Luna and De Tanga started up. Xellos and Filia aside there were no other couples on the dance floor.

Watching both pairs dance it was hard to pick which was the better couple. Though both females seemed hesitant at first they got into it very quickly. Xellos and Filia were old hat at this so they really should have stood out. But as it turned out both De Tanga and Luna weren't too bad at the tango either.

Most people were impressed by the display but there were others very much disturbed by it.

"This is frightening..." Lina exclaimed with a shiver.

"Yeah Xellos and Filia going at it on the dance floor. I know it's a dance but it's as close to sex as you can get without having sex." Zelgadis agreed also shivering.

"Not that!" Lina growled. "Luna... seeing her... doing that... Ack! If Dad were here he'd... he'd either blow up or kill De Tanga! Gods I can't watch this!" Lina had to shield her eyes from the horror on the dance floor.

"I don't know I think they're dancing pretty good." Gourry commented not really phased by the strangeness before him.

Other at another one of the tables Deep Sea and Zellas (who were still drunk) were also watching the two couples dance.

"My son is a better dancer than yours." Deep Sea exclaimed with a slur to her voice.

"De Tanga may have better technique but my Xellos has more passion. But that is because he's already bedded the golden dragon. I'm closer to grandchildren than you are." Zellas laughed triumphantly.

"Ha! I'm sure the canary feels like scrubbing herself clean after sullying herself with him. He's lucky she's letting him touch her at all." Deep Sea shot back. "While the violet knight seems to enjoy being with my De Tanga so much she has to restrain herself. The moment she beds him she'll surely be pregnant."

"Shouldn't he bed her?"

Deep Sea bubbled in laughter as she fell out of her chair. "Do you really think my De Tanga wears the pants in that relationship?"

"You know I bet he doesn't!" Zellas laughed as well.

Though the dancing was attention grabbing and romantic but the effect was being ruined by the two drunken monster lords falling off their chairs laughing.

...

The tango went on much longer than it should have leaving both couples out of breath among other things... Since the mood was already going that 'way' it was decided it was time for the time honoured traditions of throwing the bouquet and garter belt. Xellos insisted that the garter belt be first but Filia wasn't going to have any of that. The bouquet was always first and that wasn't going to change.

All the unwed girls were all ushered to one side of the dance floor whether they wanted to be there or not. Some were eager to catch the flowers (Amelia) while others wanted nothing to do with it (Lina and Luna).

"Ready girls?" Filia shouted with excitement as she turned her back to them.

"Yea!" Most of the girls shouted in response.

Filia flung the flowers high behind her and all the girls scrambled to get the bouquet or get out of the way. Perhaps some magic was in the air because even though Luna was trying to avoid catching the bouquet it ended up straight in her hands. She even tried to fling the offending foliage but the bouquet seemed to cling to her. She angrily glared around the reception trying to find the cause for this annoyance. Her eyes eventually settled on the drunken Deep Sea Dolphin who was still laughing. This did not settle well with Luna. 'I'm going to kill the annoying monster if it's the last thing I do!' Luna declared clenching the flowers angrily. She didn't have much time to dwell on that thought as she and the other girls were ushered away. It was the guys turn after all.

A chair was placed right in the middle of the floor and Filia sat herself down nervously. This was the part of the night she was dreading most. What woman would want to have Xellos' head up their skirt in front of a bunch of people? Gods it made her blush just thinking about it. 'He damned well better not do anything!' Filia fumed.

Xellos had to chuckle as he watched his embarrassed bride. He hadn't even touched her yet and she was already smouldering in shame and embarrassment. This was just too good for the monster priest. Xellos gave a nod to the band before kneeling down before his wife.

The band placed a saucy little tune reminiscent of a typical strip tease number as Xellos got his head under his wife's skirt.

Xellos was supposed to grab the garter with his teeth and pull it off but he wasn't about to rush through things. No the monster priest instead chose to make his way up her leg traveling each inch with his mouth and tongue. And when he reached the garter and should have stopped he just kept going upwards...

...Until Filia shrieked and whapped him on the head. Her face was redder than a tomato.

"Save that for the honeymoon!" One the drunken guests yelled getting laughter from everyone else in the crowd.

Xellos himself chuckled as he grabbed the garter with his teeth and slowly slide it of his wife's perfectly sculpted leg. He turned his attentions to the available men gathered before him. "So who wants this?" Xellos waved the prize in the air for them all to see.

Just like the women not all the men wanted to be there at that moment. Usually getting the garter meant you were next to marry. And since the same goes with the bouquet then there was a good chance you could be marrying the one that caught it. Or at least that's how wedding fables go. As such since it was Luna that caught the bouquet at the very least the one who caught the garter would be stuck dancing at least one dance with her. If it were any other woman besides Luna then maybe the men would have been more eager. But since it was Luna not too many men were jumping at the chance.

As Xellos tossed his wife's pink garter a wind spell wasn't needed to make sure it reached it's target. No as soon as it went flying all the men except one backed away and ran like it was a rogue fireball.

At first De Tanga was elated he caught the garter. That was until he looked around and realized he was the only one still on the dance floor. His pride left him making him feel just a tad foolish at almost whooping for joy at his prize. Instead of being the winner he just looked like the sad fool that ended up with the not so prized item.

"I believe it's customary for the man who caught the garter to put it on the woman who caught the bouquet..." Xellos announced. "...with his teeth."

De Tanga's head snapped up to look at Xellos with stunned wide eyes. "What?"

"You heard me. You have to put that garter on Luna's leg, with your teeth." Xellos repeated with an all too pleased smile on his smile.

"You're making that up!" De Tanga squeaked.

"Come now my dear friend do you really think I would make such a thing up just to embarrass you?" Xellos posed the question while crossing his arms across his chest. He brought on hand up to his face and tapped his chin in thought.

"Of course you would!" De Tanga scanned the crowd for a reassuring face ready to agree with him that Xellos was making this custom up. However all he was met with was uncertainty.

One man timidly raised his hand alerting De Tanga's attention. "I went to one wedding where they did that."

A couple others nodded in agreement.

De Tanga looked to Luna with much fear in his eyes.

Luna on the other hand was plotting just how she was going to kill Deep Sea Dolphin. Because there was no way she was going to let that crazy woman live after this. No way indeed.

_(Author's Notes: Maybe I should have upped the rating a bit... Hee hee... Xellos is a naughty boy after all... As for the garter bit... I myself have been to a wedding where this was done with the person who caught it. I don't know if it's customary but I couldn't help but throw it in. ^_~)_


	49. Chapter 23S

_Author's Notes: When starting this fic I had in my mind what was going to happen towards the end. Every part I've been writing has been leading up these final parts. Yes my dears this story is going to end pretty soon. If you don't have this story on story watch and you would like to read the future parts then you may want to put it on watch. As I'm not sure but I think I may have to change the rating up to M for either the next part or the one after. So if it's M you won't see it by default on the slayers fanfiction category. Still not a 100 % sure if that will be the case but I fell I must warn you guys._

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three S, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

With the garter in hand De Tanga stood there dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what to do. According to Xellos he had to put the garter on Luna, but De Tanga was sure his friend was lying. Looking to Luna didn't seem to help as the monster slayer seemed angry and glaring at his master. So De Tanga looked to Filia for help.

Filia had almost burst out laughing when she heard what Xellos had said about the garter. What a preposterous idea. De Tanga putting the garter on Luna with his teeth of all things? No this was not something Filia had planned for her wedding reception! Her gut reaction was to dispel and discredit her husband and put a stop to the nonsense at once. And had it been any other pair Filia would have definitely done that, but it wasn't just any pair... Sometimes when two people are in love and too stubborn to admit it you just have to give them a nudge. So nudge away Filia did. "Xellos he doesn't have to use his teeth." Filia corrected him.

De Tanga's dumbfounded look turned into one of pure horror. He expected that Xellos was lying. In fact De Tanga was damned sure it was lie, it had to be. But for Filia to back it up? This was a whole other can of worms.

Now Luna was glaring at Filia. She knew she had to kill the monster lord now she was contemplating killing the golden dragon too.

"Y-you can't b-be serious!" De Tanga stammered out.

"Get the lady to her chair!" Xellos announced as he tried to rile up the guys to carry Luna to the chair in the middle of the dance floor. The men didn't do so as Luna turned into a ball of rage the moment they got close to her. They backed away slowly in fear.

Luna growled as she stomped her way to the chair. Many people at the reception assumed Luna wasn't going to sit in the chair. They figured that she was going over to the chair so she could smash it into a billion pieces. However everyone was surprised to see Luna sit herself down.

De Tanga had been afraid up until that point. But now he was petrified. Luna was... going along with it? The inside of De Tanga's head was mush as his brain exploded. He almost fainted right then and there.

Though Luna had the look of a very cross woman she was in some way a little bit pleased. Everyone was shocked and De Tanga was shaking in his shoes. Though what she was about to endure was embarrassing she loved making De Tanga squirm.

"Cue the music!" Xellos commanded the band.

The band obliged and a slightly raunchier tune started up.

De Tanga found himself being ushered to the floor at Luna's feet not knowing how he ended up there. Looking up at Luna he just didn't know what to say or do.

Luna rolled her eyes at De Tanga before pulling out a teal handkerchief out of the bust line of her dress. "Put this on." Luna commanded De Tanga throwing it in his face.

De Tanga was already out of his mind with this whole situation but when the handkerchief that had been nestled in Luna's bosom landed on his face it just made things worse. What's worse he could even smell her perfume on it. De Tanga almost had a nosebleed right then and there. "Put it on? Where?" De Tanga squeaked holding the teal fabric in his hand.

"Over your eyes you idiot." Luna growled.

De Tanga laughed sheepishly. Of course Luna wanted him blindfolded. Not that he was planning on looking anyway. He put on the blindfold trying not to let on how much the fabric and the perfume were getting to him. With his vision completely blocked De Tanga had to feel his way to Luna's foot. The smooth leather of the high heel pump made a slight squeaky noise as De Tanga's fingers brushed against it. It made De Tanga shiver. Even when blindfolded there was something about a high heeled shoe that got a man going. But as 'excited' as De Tanga was there was very real danger up ahead. "Please don't kick me." De Tanga requested in a very small little voice.

"I make no promises." Luna stated in a low voice. She wasn't going to try and kick but now that he mentioned it it did seem like a fun idea. "Don't tickle me."

"You're ticklish?" De Tanga mused with a slightly naughty smile.

"You tickle me then it will be more than just a kick to your stupid head." Luna warned him.

The music from the band started to play louder as if to urge De Tanga to hurry up.

De Tanga didn't care that the band was urging him on he wasn't about to rush. Ever so slowly De Tanga pulled the garter up Luna's leg. He tried not to relish in the feel of Luna's skin but he just couldn't help it. Her skin was so soft.

Luna had a very strained look on her face as she sat there in her chair. A good part of her wanted to club De Tanga over the head. Another part was feeling just a bit turned on. If this weren't such a public affair Luna might very well have been more vocal with her opinion of De Tanga's hands moving up her leg. "Must you take so long?" Luna said through gritted teeth.

De Tanga chuckled. "Why does it matter how long I take?"

"Too long and I'll kick you for sure!" Luna hissed.

De Tanga was going to say something witty to that remark until he really thought about how embarrassing this was for her. Sure it was embarrassing for him too but he had a blindfold on. He couldn't see the faces of the other wedding guests. No doubt this was a very uncomfortable position for Luna. "Yes dear."

A satisfied smirk crept onto Luna's face even though she tried to fight it.

Once the garter was in place De Tanga emerged from under Luna's skirt but not before he ran his fingers down Luna's leg one last time.

Everyone cheered for De Tanga as he did something incredibly dangerous and survived.

"Okay now it's time for them to dance!" Xellos announced getting the crowd cheering once more.

De Tanga took off the blindfold and extended his hand to Luna with a grin plastered to his face.

Luna glared at him not impressed one bit. She contemplated breaking that hand of his. Once again she was stuck being forced into doing something by social pressure. Dancing with De Tanga wasn't the problem however. It was the fact that they were going to be only ones dancing. Being on display like that wasn't something Luna liked.

"Luna I think you have to dance with me." De Tanga pointed out in a low voice.

Frowning Luna took De Tanga's hand one more and the music started up. And what was it, but tango music.

Luna shot a death glare to the band causing them to go sharp on a couple notes. She looked back at her dance partner annoyed by just how much he seemed to be enjoying this.

De Tanga smiled at Luna enjoying her discomfort. "Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful when you scowl?" He whispered in her ear.

Luna growled and intentionally stepped on his foot.

De Tanga wasn't phased by the pain and instead just chuckled. "I don't think I told you just how lovely you are in that dress. Clearly the prettiest girl at this wedding."

Luna glared at him. "That's nice." She exclaimed with sarcasm.

"No, that's wrong. The correct response was 'Oh De Tanga you're the most hansom devil here as well.'" De Tanga corrected her.

Luna frown disappeared was replaced by a sinister laugh. "You're so cute when you're delusional."

"At least you've admitted you think I'm cute." De Tanga stated proudly.

Again another chorus of laughter erupting from Luna's throat. It seemed that the two forgot where they were at that moment and just how many people were staring at them.

"Looks like your sister is having fun." Gourry commented to Lina.

Lina shuddered.

"Makes you wonder what kind of relationship they have." Zelgadis added.

Lina shuddered some more.

...

As the night progressed people drank and danced to their hearts content. Even though De Tanga and Luna spent a good portion of the night dancing they did stop from time to time to drink. At this point in the evening the two of them were dancing pretty close and were both very much on their way to being fully drunk. They weren't out of their minds drunk but certain things that they would have never considered sober were starting to sound interesting.

De Tanga smiled as he stared down at Luna. She had her arms wrapped around him and her head resting against his shoulder as they swayed to the music. This wasn't exactly up to the dancing par they had set earlier but not many people were dancing with as much enthusiasm. Most were just relaxed in their date's company as the liquor put everyone into a happy drunken drossiness.

Luna had a slight smile tugging on her lips as she swayed to the music. At this point she cared little about her reputation and everyone else at the reception. To her the only thing that mattered was the feel of the arms wrapped around her. She found herself snuggling as close as possible into De Tanga's embrace. If sober Luna could see what drunken Luna was doing at that moment she would have blown a gasket. But drunken Luna didn't care. All she cared about was how much she was enjoying dancing with De Tanga and how good he smelled.

To De Tanga this moment felt like a fairy tale. Like every horrible thing he had endured his whole life was just leading up to this perfect moment. As he danced with her an idea came to mind. One that sober De Tanga would have never dared to think of let alone do. But this wasn't sober De Tanga this was drunken De Tanga and he was feeling a bit adventurous.

While Luna danced with De Tanga she wasn't aware that she was being lead away from the dance floor. The movements were so slow and fluid that Luna didn't even realize where she had ended up till she was almost against the inn outer wall. She looked up at De Tanga with confusion. "What are you up to?"

"What do you think?" He murmured as he stared into purple eyes beyond her bangs.

"The dance floor is over there." Luna motioned with a slight tilt of her head.

"I like it over here better."

Luna smiled but frowned at the same time. She knew De Tanga was up to something but she was too inebriated to figure out what it was. "And why is that?"

"I can have you all to myself."

"And what makes you think you ever had me in the first place?" Luna posed her question with a playful raised eyebrow that matched her playful smile.

"You don't smile like that for everybody." De Tanga pointed out still swaying with Luna to the music.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm drunk. I've been smiling like this for hours." Luna shot back quite pleased with herself.

"You've also been dancing with me for hours."

Luna snorted. "Do you think I would waste my time dancing with any of those spineless cowards?"

"So then really you had no other option but to dance with me." De Tanga concluded.

"Of course."

De Tanga chuckled. "You're so mean to me Luna Inverse. When I've done nothing but shower you with affection."

"Ah did I hurt your pathetic little feelings?" Luna exclaimed in a playful mocking tone.

De Tanga wasn't chuckling anymore now he was just out right laughing. He was enjoying this banter so much that he was forgetting the reason why he led Luna over away from everyone. "Nothing that your little smile can't fix." He brought his hand to her chin and lightly tilted her face upwards towards him. This gesture struck a chord with De Tanga reminding himself what exactly he was meaning to do in the first place.

"Maybe I shouldn't smile then." Luna threatened him with a little twinkle in her eyes.

"You are a vixen." De Tanga murmured as he titled his face downwards and just barely grazed his lips on hers.

Luna's eyes shot wide open at the intimate contact. She hadn't been expecting a kiss especially not from De Tanga of all people. No one tries to steal a kiss from Luna Inverse, not ever! And even in her drunken mind Luna knew this was the case and she really felt like she should be reacting. Like beating De Tanga to a pulp for attempting to kiss her. But it was too late, De Tanga wasn't trying to steal a kiss from her, he was kissing her.

It was the barest of kisses that had De Tanga's lips flutter across Luna's. Afterwards he felt the pangs of fear as the realization of what he just did started to fully penetrate his muddled mind. He'd kissed Luna Inverse! And he'd stolen the kiss at that too! In all intensive purposes De Tanga should be a dead man. What man has survived stealing a kiss from Luna Inverse the knight of Cepheid, the monster slayer and quite possibly the scariest woman in the world? The answer was probably a bit fat zero. As De Tanga stood there with Luna still in his arms he searched her perfect purple eyes for a tell as to what she felt about De Tanga's action.

Luna made no effort to get out of De Tanga's arms, however her wide eyes and stronger than normal grip on his shoulder told a different story.

If De Tanga was a smart man he would have ran right then and there.

But at that moment De Tanga wasn't a smart man.

So he kissed her again.

_(Author's Notes: I remember stating at the beginning of this fic that this wasn't going to be longer than 'Mind Games'. I'm such a liar. I just can't seem to write small stories...)_


	50. Chapter 23T

_Author's Notes: Smut alert smut alert! It's not R rated stuff but it's enough to make it an M. Hopefully the people at fanficion . net don't ban my ass for this. _

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Three T, Day 89 – 1 Day to Go

By Relm

Stealing one kiss from Luna Inverse was dangerous enough, but to steal a second was downright insane. This kiss wasn't a feather light kiss either. De Tanga's lips didn't just lightly dance across Luna's, no they tangoed. His lips bruised hers and his tongue invaded into her mouth exploring every inch.

Luna should have fought back. She should be killing him not letting her kiss her like that. But there Luna was with her back against the inn wall with De Tanga's body pressed up against her. Almost all of De Tanga's weight was leaning into Luna's pinning her against the wall. It was almost as if De Tanga was trying to trap her there with him so she couldn't escape. One of his arms was snaked around the small of Luna's back hoisting her up while his other hand was on Luna's leg pulling it up to wrap around his body.

In that moment Luna's body was betraying her. Instead of resisting De Tanga her body was responding to his touch. That leg of Luna's that De Tanga his hand on was snaked around De Tanga's side and hooked around his back. One of her hands was entangled in his hair while the other was desperately grasping at De Tanga's shoulder.

If they weren't still wearing clothing and someone happened to walk in on them that onlooker would have assumed the two were making love against the inn wall.

This kiss was to De Tanga a dead man's kiss. It was that sort of moment that if you were to die right there and now you would die a happy man. And he was sure he was going to die, this was Luna after all not some random pretty girl. But it was worth it, gods was it worth it. For De Tang this was pure happiness.

The kiss was hot and intense but it wasn't going to go on forever. De Tanga reluctantly broke the kiss stopped to look into Luna's eyes.

Luna's lips were bruised, cheeks flushed and eyes glazed over. This wasn't how De Tanga was used to seeing Luna. It was hard to tell what she was going to do. Succumb to passion or rage? As Luna's eyes cleared a bit a devilish smile crept onto her lips.

This smile scared De Tanga. He'd seen it many times and it was often not a good thing. It usually entailed destruction or pain inflicted on someone.

Luna's smile got bolder as she saw the fear in De Tanga's eyes increased. She wrapped both legs around De Tanga's back and pulled his mouth back to hers.

At first De Tanga was too stunned to react. Now it was Luna doing the kissing and her lips and tongue were more demanding than his. It got even stranger when somehow De Tanga got turned around he was the one pinned to the wall. He hadn't expected this one bit but gods was he loving it.

Luna wasn't a monster so there's no way she could teleport them anywhere. But somehow the pair ended up in the hall outside their room. This greatly confused De Tanga as he wasn't sure of how they got there. He hadn't teleported them or at least he didn't think he had. As much as he felt compelled to ponder the logistics there was a beautiful purple haired woman in his arms and currently nibbling on his ear.

Screw logistics.

De Tanga claimed Luna's mouth once more as he opened their door and led them into their room. When they reached the bed and fell onto it De Tanga had to pause. She laid there on the bed with her hair all fanned out across the sheets framing her face. Her long bangs that normally shielded her eyes was pushed aside fully exposing her face to De Tanga. This wasn't something De Tanga was used to. Even though Luna was wearing a dress it was like she was completely naked to him. Those intense eyes seemed to pierce right through his soul and it made him shiver.

As De Tanga looked at Luna he searched those intense eyes of hers. He had only meant to kiss her. To have her in his arms and share a romantic moment. He never intended to seduce and bed her. That wasn't the kind of man he was. He didn't want just sex out of Luna, he wanted more. He wanted _love._

But it wasn't just a romantic moment anymore. It wasn't just a kiss. They were in bed together and he had pinned her to it. Every inch of De Tanga screamed to succumb to passion and bed the woman. But he couldn't. He had to search her eyes to see what she wanted, what she felt what would happen if they went further. A passion filled tryst would be heavenly but not if cost the whole relationship itself. He wanted to keep Luna and keep her forever.

Luna's eyes were far too clouded to get a clear answer. She wanted him that's for sure. But then she had wanted him almost right from the start. The way he pushed her buttons and made her feel gods she had wanted to do this for a long time. And seeing the fear and trepidation in De Tanga's eyes did little to abate it. In fact seeing him afraid make it worse she wanted him more. She was smiling again, she could feel it. Gods she hated how he always made her smile even when she didn't want to.

Perhaps the smile alarmed De Tanga because he looked at that moment like he was going to say something. Talking at this time would ruin all the magic they had spun together. And Luna wasn't going to have any of that. She kissed him again and flipped him over so his back was against the mattress and she was on top.

De Tanga didn't know if he should stop her, a part of him seemed to think that was proper course of action. But that little part of himself lost all voice when Luna roughly ripped his shirt open. The way she savagely tore at his buttons made De Tanga forget all reservations he previously had.

Luna meant to explore the newly exposed flesh with her mouth when her mouth was roughly pulled back up to De Tanga's. She protested into his mouth but instead it just sounded like a low moan.

Encouraged De Tanga took charge once more and flipped them over so he was on top again. His lips never left hers as he worked feverishly to get Luna out of her dress. He could have ripped the garment as Luna had done to his shirt but he was sure that would anger the monster slayer. Eventually he freed Luna of her dress leaving her only clad in her undergarments. And her shoes, yes she was still wearing her shoes. If he had it his way those shoes would stay on the whole time. He had seen her in tight revealing clothing but never so scantily clad. She was a goddess, every sun kissed inch of her was perfect. He could have stayed there drinking in the sight of her all night. That is if Luna wasn't so impatient.

Luna tore off De Tanga's shirt and jacket and went to undo his pants. She was in a mad dash to completely get all of De Tanga's clothing off from him. She felt rushed like she had to do it quickly or it wouldn't happen at all. Perhaps that was the booze clock ticking away in her head. The longer time passed the less effect the alcohol would have on them. Luna was having trouble getting De Tanga's pants off however given the angle she really needed him to help to get them off. However De Tanga's mouth and hands were too busy for him to realize what Luna wanted from him. It took Luna pushing De Tanga off her and onto his back for her to get his pants off. Good thing the bed was a king size or otherwise De Tanga would have ended up crashing on the floor. Taking charge once more Luna went to exploring De Tanga's flesh.

The two of the constantly fought for control rolling around the bed getting tangled in the sheets in a lovely mess. The remaining undergarments were flung off to different corners of the room (and Luna's shoes much to De Tanga's dismay) leaving just the tangled sheets getting in the way.

De Tanga wanted to be slow he wanted to take his time and savour each moment. But as he found out going slow wasn't enough. The more he got of Luna the more he wanted. The soft supple skin, the smell of her perfume the sweet little moans coming out of her mouth... He just couldn't get enough of her. It had to be more, more, more. He couldn't just kiss his way down her neck he had to devour it showering her skin with little teeth bite marks. Even when he explored her chest. He carefully nibbled on one nipple while his hand pinched and teased the other. Each sensual bite caused a blissful hissing noise out of Luna's mouth.

For each bite Luna would dig her finger nails into De Tanga getting an equal satisfying blissful hiss from him. What was pleasure without some pain? Her fingers scraped down De Tanga's arched back till they got to its destination, De Tanga's shapely rear.

De Tanga could have easily healed himself so he wouldn't have those marks that Luna was making on his back and butt. They would go away on their own but he could have sped up the process. However De Tanga liked the idea of Luna marking him as her own so he intended to keep them as long as he could. It was like she had claimed him as hers. He explored every inch of her body savouring it all. And just when he'd get to those ever so low enough to really get Luna moaning she would take over and make him moan instead.

Luna liked having control over De Tanga but she also liked that he just didn't give in. Though Luna was known as a bit of a cold fish this wasn't the first time she had done the vertical tango. In the past if her lover was strong willed and attempted to take control they still ended up being completely dominated by Luna. But De Tanga was different. He challenged her at every turn. It made things 'interesting' for Luna. Luna made just as many marks across De Tanga's chest as he had to her. However with Luna wasn't quite so gentle. She almost bit down hard enough on De Tanga's nipple to draw blood. And then she soothed the flushed skin with her lips and tongue.

De Tanga hissed while biting his bottom lip. The way Luna made him feel was almost too much to bare.

As she herself got lower to De Tanga's sensitive area he would take over just as she had turning the tables on her.

This fight for control went on for what seemed like hours before neither could take it anymore foreplay. Both had love marks all over their bodies. Their breathing was ragged and beads of sweat rolled down their bodies. De Tanga looked into Luna's eyes once pleading for permission. Though Luna might have liked it better if De Tanga just took control and not be meek about this but she understood why the request. Sure they had seen each other naked. And yes they had explored each other's bodies but this was different. This was the final barrier between the two. After this they couldn't go back to what they were. It meant that they were going to move forward with them or it would break things.

De Tanga's pleading eyes were met with Luna willing ones and the two kissed as they merged together in a blissful union.

The feeling was intense for De Tanga. He had had sex before but never anyone he had felt this strongly for. He couldn't help let out a loud moan.

Hearing the noises coming out of her lover made Luna feel like she was on fire. She clawed at him, she bit him she screamed his name over and over again.

Their bodies moved in unison but still they fought each other for control. Him on top, her on top, different positions different speeds. Each rhythmic rock was harder and more powerful. The moans got louder and louder as they constantly screamed each other's name. They moved faster and harder with so much power that as they screamed each other's name in their final release they broke the bed.

The bed legs broke as the two climaxed making it crash to the floor in a loud boom! Both of them breathed heavily as they tried to make sense of what just happened. Was the power of their love making so strong that it made it feel like the earth shook or did their romp kill the bed?

Looking around at how much closer they were to the ground De Tanga and Luna couldn't help but laugh.

"We broke the bed!" Luna squealed in delight.

"Xellos is not going to like that being on the bill." De Tanga mused while pulling Luna into a tighter embrace.

After sex cuddling wasn't something Luna liked to do as a norm. Usually she just kicked out the men as soon as she was done with them. She wasn't the type of woman to get attached so easily. So her normal gut reaction was to get the hell out of De Tanga's arms and kick him out of the bed. But that's not what happened. Instead Luna relaxed into the embrace letting her face fall onto De Tanga's chest as she snuggled up as close to him as she could. This wasn't like her and she knew it and if it were any other man she wouldn't be cuddling at that moment. But De Tanga was different, he was worth it. At that moment Luna felt happy and safe wrapped up the warmth of her lover's embrace. She let out a happy satisfied sigh as she started to drift off into dreamland.

De Tanga was also feeling sleepy as he was satisfied both physically and emotionally. He couldn't believe they had sex! Luna had imposed a 90 day waiting period before she was willing to date him and yet she still had sex with him before the decision day. He didn't know if that was a bad thing but at that moment he was too pleased with himself to care. He was so happy at that moment he just couldn't help himself. "I love you..." He murmured as he drifted off to sleep.

Luna who had been almost asleep herself was snapped awake by that comment. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she looked up to see just what the hell was going on with De Tanga. What it a joke? Was he serious? She looked at him while holding her breath waiting for an explanation.

Luna didn't get an explanation as De Tanga was already fast asleep. The monster slayer could tell by the rhythmic rise and fall of De Tanga's chest that he was sleeping.

This made Luna almost a bit mad. How dare he do that! They weren't even at 90 days yet and he told her he loved her? Yes they just had sex but to Luna saying those three little words meant a thousand times more than any amount of time in the sack.

Filia had told her that De Tanga was in love with her. Xellos had told her that De Tanga was in love with her. Hell half her family was sure that De Tanga was in love with her. So this shouldn't have surprised her. She herself even knew what De Tanga's feelings were. So why did this bother her so much?

The truth was because she wasn't ready to say those three little words to anyone let alone to De Tanga. And how did she really feel about De Tanga? Did she care enough about De Tanga to tell him she loved him?

'Damn him!' Luna cursed. 'How dare he lay a bomb on me like that and drift off to sleep! Inconsiderate bastard!' She had half a mind to jab De Tanga in the ribs and slap him. That or shove him off the bed. However Luna did neither of that. Instead she just laid back down resting her head on De Tanga's chest.

In his sleep De Tanga happily mumbled and wrapped his arms around Luna tighter.

Luna let out a heavy sigh. She knew she was being silly. Having someone tell you they loved you wasn't a reason to be mad at them. But what the hell was she going to say in the morning? Tomorrow was decision day after all...

_(Author's Notes: Well this was a hard one for me to write. Ha ha. I don't do lemons and it wasn't easy for me to write this. I bounced back and forth whether to make it hard core or go all flowery and describe the smut as poetic as I could rather than go into the raunchy details. I ended up going halfwayish. I hope I didn't offend anyone and I hope I didn't disappoint either. I'm sorry I couldn't bring myself to make this a full on lemon rather than just a citrus flavoured fic. _

_Another warning, the next part will probably be the last one. The next part is D-day. Dum dum DUM! _

_Will De Tanga take back his omission of love?_

_Will Luna let De Tanga date her?_

_Or has a slip of a tongue (in more ways than one) ruined Luna and De Tanga potential future? _

_We're all 'just waiting' to find out! [Tee hee! I'm such a dork! ^^]) _


	51. Chapter 24

_Author's Notes: Since I've already upped the rating I'm going to warn you guys, there is just a tad little bit of swearing in this part. Thank you and please enjoy the show._

**Just Waiting**

Part Twenty-Four, Day 90 – Decision Day

By Relm

"Why are we up so damned early for?" Gavin groaned as he dragged his feet while walking to the restaurant with Leviathan. It was early in the morning, too early in fact so few people were awake in Zelphilia.

"We are heading to the restaurant because we have to be there for the shipments that are arriving." Leviathan explained not tired one bit. It didn't matter to him what time of the day it was, he could sleep any time and wake up when he wanted and still feel fresh.

Gavin groaned as he clearly wasn't a morning person. "But it's just produce! Why does it matter so much if we're there?"

"Because Luna isn't here and someone has to be there to sign for it or they'll just leave it by the back doors."

"Again I repeat, it's produce so why the hell do we care?" Gavin spat out in irritation.

Leviathan narrowed his eyes at his little brother. Gavin's blasé attitude wasn't sitting well with him. "Luna left us in charge so have to make sure we make responsible decisions. If we just let the guys leave whatever for us at the door we won't know if it's good till well after the fact. Luna always checks over the merchandise before signing the papers. Sometimes even just one piece of bad fruit or vegetable can ruin a whole meal. How can I knowingly look Luna in the eye when she gets back and tell her that I did everything I was supposed to if I'm too lazy to even get up early in the morning?"

"This isn't early in the morning! It's practically still evening!" Gavin protested. "Besides she'll probably be coming back today or tomorrow."

"I don't care if she's coming back this minute! We're already up and almost there so quit your whining!" Leviathan ordered Gavin not liking how his voice sounded as he did it. Lev was more a peace keeper not a bossy person. Bossing people around wasn't something in his nature.

"I wonder if she'll be coming back alone." Gavin thought out loud.

Leviathan frowned as he thought about his oldest sister. "Gods I hope she doesn't."

"Do you think De Tanga is going to pass her test?"

"I would love to say, 'yes of course he will' but I can't. De Tanga is a great guy and Luna would have to be stupid to let him go. But this is Luna we're talking about here and she's the most stubborn person I know. I know she cares for De Tanga but I don't think she'll want to let herself feel those feelings for him. She's too guarded to let just anyone get behind her defences."

"Hmm... If she's not coming back with him then she could be gone for more than just a few days." Gavin reminded Leviathan.

"Yeah if she's going to break De Tanga's heart I doubt he'll want to teleport her back. So she would be stuck traveling." Though it would be an unconvincing thing for Luna, Leviathan couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the notion. Living somewhat of a sheltered life Leviathan hadn't had the opportunity to see much of the world besides Zelphilia. He often wondered what the outside world was like.

"If she does fail him then that means we'll be Luna free just that much longer. Of course if it means having to get up stupidly early for restaurant stuff it's not that much better."

"Then let's hope Luna comes home with her new boyfriend."

The two Inverse boys nodded in agreement as they got to the restaurant with the delivery wagon already there loaded up with produce.

"Okay sign here and we'll be on our way." The delivery man handed Leviathan the forms with a pen.

"Hold on Thale. You know the drill. I need to look over everything and check it with our order sheet." Leviathan was quick to point out as he took the papers from the delivery man.

Thale groaned. "I was hoping just this once I could go through this route fast. Oh well at least you're not as bad your sister."

Leviathan let out a chuckle as he looked through the order.

Gavin stood there waiting for his brother to over the produce order bored and sleepy. So sleepy that he fell asleep standing. It wasn't until Leviathan woke him up that he realized he had dozed off.

"Gavin, wake up. We've got to take the stuff." Leviathan gave his brother a slight nudge. He didn't want to wake Gavin but he needed help getting all the stuff in.

Gavin yawned and stretched before getting to work. He grabbed two boxes and followed his brother into the restaurant. Of those two boxes Gavin had in his hand one of them was on the order list. The other wasn't. A mysterious box of oranges...

...

De Tanga mumbled as he rolled around in bed. He was still asleep but just on the cusp of waking. De Tanga fought the waking feeling and reached out for his bed mate to cuddle so he could further retreat into slumber. But feeling the bed around him De Tanga found that his bed mate was nowhere to be found. Even though he didn't want to De Tanga woke looking for the whereabouts of his Luna.

A quick scan of the room revealed the purple haired beauty. And a beauty she did look that early sunny morning. Luna stood by the window looking relaxed as stared at the view. She wasn't dressed and only a sheet covered her otherwise naked body. The sheet was large enough to fully cover the waitress from Zelphilia but Luna had it so loosely wrapped around her that it just barely covered her. The slight tousled hair and the whiteness of the sheets contrasting to her slightly tanned skin made Luna look like a goddess.

Though the sight was a heavenly one De Tanga couldn't help but feel a bit confused by Luna's actions. Why wasn't she in bed with him? They had made love the night before so why would she distance herself from him? De Tanga didn't understand.

"About time you woke." Luna spoke breaking the silence but still staring out the window. She didn't need to turn to know that De Tanga was awake. She could feel his eyes on her.

"I would still be sleeping if a certain someone didn't leave the bed." He patted the bed playfully hoping to entice Luna back to their bed.

Luna didn't bite; in fact she didn't even turn around. "You know what today is right?"

De Tanga felt coldness settle in his gut. He didn't like how this was starting out. "Yes."

"It's decision day. The day I decide if I'm going to let you date me or not."

Yes De Tanga didn't like how this is going. "After last night I figured..."

"That we got drunk and ended up in bed together? Yes that did happen, but it doesn't change things."

Now De Tanga was really starting to get afraid. He thought back to everything he did the night before that he could remember. Yes he had stolen a couple kisses but Luna was the one that took things further. Was he not supposed to go along with it? Was he supposed to resist her? Was it a test? So many things went through De Tanga's mind at that panic stricken moment. And it came to him, he remembered. Right as he was drifting off to sleep he'd said it.

_I love you._

He'd told Luna Inverse the woman who rejected all forms of commitment especially if it made her vulnerable that he loved her. There was probably nothing worse to say to Luna Inverse other than those three little words. Now it was all clear.

Luna cleared her throat before continuing on. "I had said no dates before the 90 days but I did make that exception for the wedding. And even though last night was 'fun' that won't impact my decision."

De Tanga couldn't tell what Luna's decision was going to be. Her body language told him that he failed and failed hard. "Listen Luna I know that last night I-"

"Shut up!" Luna silenced him. "I don't want to hear any sort of argument or excuses. I've made my decision and there's nothing you could do or say to change it."

"Then what is your decision?" He dared ask.

"I enjoyed last night... but I've decided I don't want to date you."

In that one moment De Tanga felt his whole world crash into a thousand pieces. His heart had stopped and he couldn't breathe. After everything, everything they went through, the ups and downs after professing his love to her she would refuse him? "You what?"

"I don't want to date you." She repeated in a deadpan voice devoid of all emotion.

"I can't believe you! You string me along for three whole months and you say no? Is that the reason why you forgave me so easily? You wanted to lull me into a false sense of security so you could really rip my heart out?" De Tanga spat out angrily.

Luna didn't even flinch at De Tanga's angry words. She made no sound or movement at all.

"Was it hard waiting all this time to destroy me? I'm supposed to be the monster! I'm the one that's supposed to cause mayhem and chaos! I'm supposed to toil with other people's emotions! Not you! Gods you are the most infuriating woman in this world! You're exactly like a monster!" De Tanga screamed with the most anger and rage he'd ever felt. But it wasn't just rage he was devastated. Tears freely fell from his face and he didn't even care. He wanted Luna to see exactly how she made him feel. He wanted her to see his pain.

If Luna was affected by this display of emotion she made no effort to show it. She still continued to stand by the window looking outside rather than look at De Tanga.

"And I told you I loved you to! I meant it, I really did. I still mean it. Gods do I wish at this moment I didn't. But that's what did you in wasn't it? Me saying those three damned words. A stupid monster priest admitting he loves the monster slayer. How could you ever date such an imbecile? Heaven forbid you ever love me back! Because that's what you're the most afraid of isn't it? Luna Inverse is afraid to let anyone into her heart because she'd be exposed. She could be hurt. Well? I let you in and I didn't want to. No I never let you; you forced your damned way in! And this is what you do to me?" De Tanga choked on his sobs really making a pathetic mess of himself.

Standing there Luna had to fight the urge to react. She couldn't react to what De Tanga was saying. Because she was Luna Inverse after all and Luna Inverse wasn't a weakling affect so easily by petty emotions.

"Well is it? Are you not dating me because I admitted that I love you?" De Tanga spat out.

"Yes, that's exactly what the reason is." Luna admitted in a very calm but emotionless voice.

This admission took all the wind out of De Tanga's sails. It wasn't fair. He had done everything he could to make things work. He walked on eggshells trying not to screw things up. He would have gone to hell and back for her if it would have helped. Telling someone you loved them was supposed to be a good thing. It was supposed to solidify a relationship not crumble it into pieces. He didn't know what to say to her. All he could do was sit there staring at her with his mouth hanging open in surprise.

"I can't date you. There's no way I could ever..."

De Tanga had a couple choice words he was storing up in his brain to say to her at that moment.

"...I'll have to marry you instead."

"YOU EVIL BITCH!" De Tanga screamed. "I can't believe you! You are evil the most evil woman in the fucking world! How dare you screw around with my feelings like that! You actually make me think I failed and you go and sneak in a damned marriage proposal!"

Luna turned around and leaned against the window sill in a most seductive manner. Her come hither smile was tainted just the slightest amount of evil intent. "Oh no, there is no proposal. You are going to marry me."

"And what if I refuse?" De Tanga stated crossing his arms in mock protest.

Luna's smile broadened and got much more wicked. She let the sheet that just barely covered her drop exposing her whole body to him once more. "Just so you know when you tell a woman you love them you lose all bargaining rights. Especially if the woman you love looks like this."

"I'm still mad at you." De Tanga declared while not moving an inch.

"And how can we fix that?" Luna sauntered over to the bed crawling her way over to De Tanga for a kiss.

De Tanga turned his head away to avoid Luna's lips. "You tell me you're sorry..."

"I'm sorry." Luna mumbled as she nibbled on De Tanga's neck.

"...and tell me you love me."

Luna stiffened and stopped what she was doing. She looked him in the eyes to see if he was serious.

He was. "I'm not going to marry a woman that can't even admit to me that she loves me." De Tanga stated sternly.

"Why do I need to tell you when you know damned well what I feel?" Luna raised an eyebrow at him. She did love him, and she really did want to marry him but Luna was still Luna after all. It was hard to let go of all her self control.

"Because it means nothing if I can't hear it from your lips. It's nice to hear you're loved once in a while."

Luna rolled her eyes. "You are such a girl."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes." She admitted feeling both vulnerable and empowered. It wasn't just any guy she was letting her guard down with, it was De Tanga.

"Yes what?" He prompted her. De Tanga wasn't about to let her get out of this one. Not after the three months she put him through. He earned it and he was going to get what he wanted.

"Yes I... love... you."

De Tanga smiled as he kissed his fiancé on the lips. He grabbed her and pulled into bed with him.

Luna was quick to shove him off her. "Oh no there will be none of that."

De Tanga looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"

"We're officially engaged. Therefore we can't have sex until our wedding night." Luna stated.

"Then what the hell did we do last night?" De Tanga exclaimed.

"A drunken impulse that won't be repeated for a long while."

De Tanga let out a fake groan. "So you're going to make me wait... again?"

"Aren't I worth waiting for?" Luna flashed him a cute playful smile.

"I would wait for you forever." He admitted lovingly as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Well you will have to wait. Starting tomorrow we will have no sex until we're married." Luna declared.

"Starting tomorrow?" De Tanga prompted.

"Yeah tomorrow sounds good." Luna took charge shoving De Tanga on his back.

"You just wanted to be on top." De Tanga mused as he ran his hands up and down Luna's back.

"I'm always on top." Luna growled at him while hungrily devouring his lips with her own.

...

After Leviathan and Gavin got everything off the wagon and into the restaurant it was time to unpack and put everything away. A majority of the stuff was going to the kitchen but some of the produce was going to the bar. Particularly some of the lemons and limes.

"Hey Lev did you order oranges for the bar too?" Gavin asked in curiosity as he picked up a strange looking crate. It looked like oranges on the label but Gavin wasn't too sure as the writing on the label was hard to read. It might have been tangerines for all he knew.

"No. And I already unpacked all the oranges for the kitchen. Did Thale give us an extra crate by mistake?" Leviathan wondered as he examined the very box Gavin handed him.

"Maybe. Or maybe he was just being nice and giving us a freebee. Could you use oranges in the bar?"

Leviathan nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah I could do all kinds of fun drinks with oranges. I'm sure it would be a nice change for the patrons. But this box looks old and beat up. The oranges inside might be rotten." Leviathan opened the crate to make sure and shocked with what ended up being inside.

The moment the lid came off a flash of light emerged from the crate and a figure burst right out. Within a second a scantily clad woman with long dark hair appeared flying out of the crate and crashing right into Leviathan.

The woman felt woozy as she struggled to regain her composure. She couldn't even remember how the hell she ended up in the box let alone how long she had been there. And she clearly didn't know where the hell she was now but she was glad to be free. "OHOHOHOHOHOH! I'm finally free of the cursed crate!"

Leviathan looked down at the woman who was currently laying on top of him with curiosity. It was always strange to be suddenly knocked down to the floor by any strange woman but more so when they appear out of things that are far too small to contain them. The woman appeared to be very tall and busty but what grabbed Leviathan's attention most was her glossy raven hair and pristine blue eyes. "Are you okay?"

She looked up realizing she was laying on top of someone. Her blue eyes met his and she felt that connection she never felt before. People never looked into her eyes; they always dismissed her and looked at other parts of her. No one took her seriously enough to look at her so directly. It made her shiver but then she realized she was laying on top of him. Her face was the only spot this man could clearly look at her. So with that realization she sprung to her feet regaining her usual confidence and composure. "I am fine now that I am rid of that evil crate! OHOHOHOHOHOHOH! I, Naga the white serpent, is free!"

Leviathan got up with a small smile on his face. "Well I'm glad I got you out Miss Naga." As Leviathan smiled his little fangs were present. He could have been ogling the sight of the woman before him as she was wearing the least amount of clothing he had ever seen on a woman before. Naga wore what looked like a black string bikini, cape boots, gloves and a few other accessories. What her clothing didn't do was cover up the fact that Naga had an extremely large bust. But her chest size didn't surprise Leviathan as Naga was a tall girl, tallest he'd ever seen so it didn't seem strange to her. Instead he continued to look Naga in her eyes.

Naga was a little thrown off at Leviathan's gaze. She expected him to look at her chest or other areas, but not her eyes. Another thing that was strange is that she had to look up to meet his eyes. This man before her was taller than her! And that rarely happened. What really got Naga going was not only was he tall but he was muscled almost like a body builder and he had a blue dragon like tail. And not to mention he had the cutest smile. He was an interesting one. 'My gods he's gorgeous.' She couldn't help but think to herself.

"Looks like some sort of a variation of a temporal box spell." Gavin mused picking up the crate. "Kinda of an ingenuous way to trap someone."

"OHOHOHOHOHOH! It had to be ingenuous if it managed to capture the beautiful and talented Naga the White Serpent!" Naga boomed referring to herself in second person. "Where am I exactly? And who are the two of you?"

"Oh! Right I'm sorry! How rude of me." Leviathan apologized. "Well you're in Zelphilia-"

"Zelphilia? The land of eternal wine?" Naga almost squealed with delight.

"Well we are a wine country so yeah-"

"Then we must drink!" Naga announced clapping her hands.

"Not so early in the morning!" Leviathan exclaimed with a sweatdrop falling down the side of the face. "We can drink later perhaps. In fact I'll buy you a drink later, would that be okay?"

Naga wanted to drink now but she couldn't help but be charmed with this handsome stranger offering to buy her a drink. "Alright, so who are you two again?"

"That there is my brother Gavin," Leviathan pointed to Gavin standing behind her, "And I'm Leviathan, Leviathan Inverse." He offered his hand to shake Naga's in a normal traditional greeting.

Naga didn't take his hand. She was too shocked too. "...Inverse?"

...

"As much as I would love to stay in bed all day I think we have to get ready and go home." De Tanga announced after a third round of passionate sex with his fiancé.

Luna frowned at him. "Once we leave this bed it will be no sex until after the wedding." She warned him.

De Tanga considered thinking about if he could go another round. The truth was he could but he knew he shouldn't. They had already had enough sex for the day. "Don't tempt me woman. I could stay here all day. But you can't feed off emotions, you need to eat food." He reminded her.

"Isn't that idiot friend of yours paying the tab for the room? We could just order room service and never leave." Luna suggested.

De Tanga growled as he nibbled on Luna's ear. "Stop it! We already broke the bed! We're going to get ready, eat breakfast and check out." De Tanga declared with much force and power to his voice. Even as commanding as he was that didn't matter too much to Luna.

"And what makes you think you can boss me around?"

"Because I'm marrying you and I'm taking you out for breakfast."

That was enough for Luna and she got up. "Okay but it's going to be a very big breakfast. I've worked up quite an appetite."

"I'll bet you have." De Tanga replied with a satisfied smirk on his face.

...

The pair got up ready and had a lovely breakfast together. There was something nice and relaxing about being in each other's company and not having to dance around each other. De Tanga could show as much affection towards Luna and she would reciprocate to a certain degree. (She was still Luna Inverse after all) There were no worries of a pass or fail so all was good in the world.

After breakfast the couple went back to their room to pack up to check out. Since Luna had way more stuff than De Tanga he was done well before she was. Instead of doing the gentlemanly thing to do and offer to help her finish packing De Tanga stepped out for a little while. He had an errand to do that he couldn't do around Luna.

Luna had an idea or two of what De Tanga was doing but she wasn't going to voice her suspicions. She trusted him enough to know it wasn't something she should worry about. A part of her hoped he was saying goodbye to everyone for the both of them as she wasn't looking forward to all the parting pleasantries. However when De Tanga returned and they checked out Luna found out that wasn't the case. They still had to say good bye to Filia and Xellos and everyone else. It felt like an hour of talking before Luna and De Tanga could finally get away.

"Let's go home already!" Luna fumed in exasperation after tearing De Tanga away from one of the townspeople who just had to talk to De Tanga before he left. She held onto his arm so tightly that if he were human it would have turned white.

"Oh? Does this mean you want us to teleport home?" De Tanga teased her.

"Yes!" Luna hissed. "How the hell were you expecting us to get home?"

"Well since you don't like teleporting I thought we were going to travel the rest of the way home by foot." De Tanga exclaimed coyly.

Luna considered De Tanga's fake suggestion. Something about spending endless days traveling off together did appeal to Luna but she knew she had to get back to her restaurant. "No you're going to teleport us. Gods know what my family have done with my restaurant."

De Tanga chuckled. "Of course. But if I am going to teleport you you're going to have to hold onto me a tad closer than just my arm." He pulled her close wrapping his one free arm around her tightly.

Luna didn't recoil from the contact like she had the first time they teleported. Instead she had a coy smile of her own. "Remember no sex until the wedding." She reminded him.

"I wasn't going to try and seduce you. But now that you've suggested it there's something intriguing about the idea of having sex mid teleport."

Luna playfully hit De Tanga over the head with one of her bags. "Let's go home!"

"Yes dear." De Tanga answered happily. The notion of having an actual home was a happy one for De Tanga. A place where he belonged and people accepted him for who he was.

They teleported back to Zelphilia and expected some sort of fanfare or special greeting but all the pair was greeted with was worry.

"Miss Luna you need to get to the restaurant right away!" Liden one of Zelphilia's blacksmiths exclaimed the moment he saw her.

This sort of greeting alarmed Luna. Her first instinct was to run over to 'The Devil's Spoon' but instead De Tanga held on tight and teleported them right inside the restaurant. She would have hit De Tanga once more for unnecessary teleporting if her family (sans Devon) wasn't standing in the restaurant looking worried.

"Luna!" Faithe exclaimed. "Something terrible has happened!"

Luna looked around the restaurant noting it's condition and frowned. Nothing appeared to be wrong with 'The Devil's Spoon', in fact it looked extremely clean to boot. "What?"

"It's not terrible Mom." Gavin sighed while rolling his eyes. "You're over exaggerating."

"I am not!" Faithe insisted. "This is terrible! I can't believe Leviathan would do this!"

Now Luna was really confused. Leviathan rarely ever did anything wrong and when he did it was by pure accident. "What did he do?"

"He ran off with some strange girl!"

Luna had been confused before now she was as puzzled as she had ever been in her life. Yes Leviathan may have had the occasional crush or two since getting his human form but he never acted on it. Leviathan was just too painfully shy when it came to those types of things that he never could muster up the courage to ask a girl out on a date. So the idea of Leviathan running away with one seemed preposterous. "What?"

Gertrude stepped in at this moment to explain. "It seems somehow Leviathan freed this woman from a magical trap that was holding her in a crate of oranges. This woman claims to be the greatest rival to our little Lina and is on a quest to find her."

Now it made sense for Luna. "So he wanted to go with her so he could find Lina?" She prompted.

Gertrude nodded. "Yes it would seem that was the case."

"I just saw Lina. She was at the wedding." Luna mused.

Both Faithe and Blitz glared at their oldest daughter in disbelief.

"You saw her?" Faithe exclaimed. "And you didn't bring her home with you?"

"No, why the hell would I do that for?" Luna matched her parents glare. "What what's the problem with Leviathan going out traveling?"

"He's only been human for so long!" Faithe protested. "He's practically a baby! He doesn't know the cruelties of the outside world!"

"Keeping him cooped up in Zelphilia isn't going to get him to know the ways of the world." Luna pointed out.

"Well if he wanted to travel then he should have gone with one of us." Blitz countered.

"Yes because we have all the free time in the world with running just a few family businesses." Luna snorted sarcastically. "You wouldn't even take Leviathan on that last trip you made."

"He wasn't ready." Blitz insisted.

"Luna you need to go after him and bring him back!" Faithe insisted.

"No." Luna huffed while crossing her arms.

"There is no discussing it Luna. You're going to go and get your brother and bring him back!" Blitz growled in frustration.

"I'm not going to. He's a not a baby and he shouldn't be treated like one!" Luna yelled back.

"I know this isn't my business..." De Tanga interjected. "But keeping Leviathan from seeing the outside world would just make him want to leave that much more. You'd run the risk of him leaving and never wanting to coming back. Whereas if you let him explore and travel with no repercussions he'll be more likely to come back."

"You're right De Tanga..." Faithe agreed. "It's none of your business! Now Luna do as I say and bring Leviathan back!"

"No! I'm not your lap dog, you can't order me around!" Luna yelled.

Faithe and Blitz turned their attentions to De Tanga which made De Tanga a little nervous.

"You're going to bring him back." Blitz stated rather than asked De Tanga.

"And why would you think he'd do that for?" Luna spat out in irritation.

"Please De Tanga?" Faithe pleaded ignoring Luna.

De Tanga pressed his lips together in a frown. "I care about what happens to Leviathan and yes the world can be a cruel place but I also know Leviathan. You don't see it because you're not monsters but Leviathan isn't exactly as happy as he appears. He loves his home, family and the people of this country but he feels trapped. If I go and find him and bring him back will resent you all. Let him go and explore for a while. He'll come back."

"And how can you be so sure?" Faithe demanded with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"He'll have to come back for the wedding." De Tanga insisted.

Right away Luna shot De Tanga a death glare. They had just gotten engaged! He wasn't supposed to go telling everyone already!

The members of Luna's family either ignored Luna or failed to see the angry look on her face and instead they focused their attention on De Tanga.

"What wedding?" Faithe had to ask. Deep down she wanted to hear it was Luna and De Tanga's but realistically she didn't think that was the case. She wasn't going to get her hopes up.

"Oh well apparently instead of letting me date her, your daughter has decided that we're going to get married instead." De Tanga explained trying to keep his glee hidden and at bay.

"You asked De Tanga to marry you?" Faithe squealed with glee at her daughter.

"I didn't ask him. I told him." Luna corrected her mother. She had her arms across her chest again.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Blitz roared with laughter. "Typical Luna!"

"I'd run if I were you." Gavin whispered to De Tanga in a voice was just a tad too loud to really be classified as a whisper.

Luna threw a plate at her younger brother's head which of course Gavin managed to dodge.

"So when's the wedding? Have decided on a service? Colour scheme? Flowers?" Faithe eyes just got crazier and crazier the more she talked. To say she was excited was a gross understatement.

"We've decided nothing! We just got engaged this morning after I woke up." De Tanga explained very quickly.

Blitz eyed De Tanga suspiciously. "What was Luna doing in your room before you were awake?"

De Tanga's eyes were wide with fear. Showing his fear was a bad thing but it was a gut reaction he just couldn't help it. "Well... um... you see... there wasn't a lot of rooms at the inn..."

"If my daughter ends up pregnant before the wedding then you won't live to see it!" Blitz growled at De Tanga with a booming roar.

"No, no forgot that!" Faithe interjected. "Have as much sex with Luna as you want! The quicker I get grandkids the better! But have you been having sex already? Gods Luna could be pregnant!"

"I might be a great-grandmother already!" Gertrude exclaimed with just as much glee as her daughter.

Luna paled at the thought of being pregnant already. Especially thinking back to just how active the two had been in bed. Yes Luna could very well be with child, what a scary thought.

"Seriously, get out now while you still can." Gavin insisted to De Tanga once more with another plate nearly missing his head.

De Tanga did the only thing he could think of doing at that moment when faced with such an abundance of emotions. He scooped up all the luggage, grabbed Luna and teleported out of there.

The pair popped up in Luna's bedroom and the moment they teleported in Luna hit De Tanga over the head.

"What the hell were you thinking? You weren't supposed to tell them yet!" Luna fumed while angrily grabbing her luggage from De Tanga and started unpacking.

"Really? And what were you going to say when people asked about our deal? Where you going to tell them we were dating?" De Tanga shot back with a satisfied smirk.

"Maybe." Luna answered confidently but she wasn't even so sure.

"Well your mom and dad were upset about Leviathan. It was either tell them about the wedding or have them hate me for not doing what they wanted." De Tanga crossed his arms.

"I would have been fine with them hating you." Now it was Luna's turn for the satisfied smirk.

"Of course you would." Instead of saying more on the manner De Tanga decided it was time to show Luna what he had been doing while she was getting ready at the inn. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black velvet box. Getting down on one knee De Tanga grabbed one of Luna's hands and looked up at her. "Luna-"

"What are you doing?" Luna interrupted him.

"Shut up and I'll tell you. Luna I know things going forward are going to scary for the both of us but I want you to know I love you and I want to be with you forever." De Tanga opened the box revealing a white gold diamond ring that had little amethysts surrounding the diamond. The diamond itself was quite large and sparkled beautifully in the light of the morning sun. "Will you marry me?"

This was an extremely romantic gesture and all Luna could do was roll her eyes. "I already told you we're getting married."

"Yeah but your proposal sucked. So I want a moment to remember."

"I didn't propose. I told you what was going to happen." She reminded him.

"I don't care. I want to propose! Will you marry me?"

"When did you get this ring? And please don't say you've had it in your pocket almost right after you met me because that would be extremely lame."

"I got it in Valsteep while you were packing things up at the inn. Now answer my damned question will you marry me or not?" De Tanga exclaimed impatiently.

"You are such a girl."

"Luna!"

"Yes, I'll marry you." Luna finally caved in.

De Tanga put the ring on Luna's finger happy to finally solidify his relationship with her. "Now everyone will know you're mine." De Tanga got up and pulled Luna in for a kiss.

"No I don't belong to anyone. I own you." Luna corrected him while playfully biting his bottom lip.

De Tanga chuckled. He didn't mind being a possession of Luna's, in fact he relished in the idea. "Well at least everyone will know the result to the test you put me through."

"Was I worth waiting for?" Luna asked in a playful voice.

De Tanga flashed her a loving smile. "I'd wait for you forever." He told her again pulling her in for another kiss.

THE END

_(Author's Notes: With how long this part ended up being I could have easily have made this into two parts. Oh well that just goes to show you never know how long something is going to be till you finish writing it. And this story is a testament to that fact. I've never written a story this long and finished it in such a short amount of time. Just a little over a year. I'm quite proud of myself. But then again I probably wouldn't have been so motivated if it hadn't been for the all the support I got from everyone here at fanfiction . net. I never expected to get one reader let alone the plethora of reviews I ended up getting. Nice reviews always brighten my day. So thank you all! _

_I know I've left things open for a third story which would focus on Leviathan and Naga. It is a project I'm considering but not right now. I'd like to focus on doing a little more on non-fanfiction type stories. But in the future I will probably write the next story in the series. Until then, _

_THANK YOU ALL MY LOYAL READERS!)_


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